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Food Microbiology Training

Introduction to Food Microbiology (for non-Microbiologists) Training Course South Africa (FS09)

This Introduction to Food Microbiology training course helps learners understand the basics of food microbiology in relation to food safety, including bacteria, yeasts, moulds, foodborne pathogens, spoilage organisms, contamination sources, growth factors, hygiene and GMP controls, sampling, testing, laboratory report interpretation and practical decision-making for South Africa and international food handling environments.

View Training Options See Course Outline Course Enquiry
8h Online self-paced pathway
1 Day Virtual or physical classroom duration
FS09 Course code reference
70% Pass rate for certificate
Introduction to Food Microbiology for non-Microbiologists training course South Africa
Course focus A practical introductory food microbiology course for non-microbiologists, food safety teams, QA and QC personnel, supervisors, laboratory staff, environmental health practitioners and food businesses that need a clearer understanding of microbiological food safety risks and controls.
Our classroom options

Choose the food microbiology training format that best fits your learner or business needs

This FS09 food microbiology course supports online self-paced learning, live virtual instructor-led training and physical classroom or onsite delivery for organisations and learners who need practical microbiology awareness linked to food safety.

Option 1

Online Self-paced Training

A flexible learning pathway for learners who want to build understanding of food microbiology fundamentals independently, including contamination risks, growth factors, spoilage, pathogens, sampling and interpretation of microbiological results.

  • ✓Duration: 8 hours
  • ✓Flexible access and self-managed progress
  • ✓Budget-friendly and practical for individual learners
  • ✓Certificate available after successful completion
Request Availability
Option 2

Virtual Classroom Training

Live instructor-led training via Zoom for learners or teams who need structured guidance on understanding food microbiology concepts and their practical application in food safety systems and food handling environments.

  • ✓Duration: 1 day
  • ✓Presented virtually via Zoom
  • ✓Ideal for QA, QC, supervisors, HACCP teams and laboratory personnel
  • ✓Supports practical microbiology awareness and food safety decision-making
View Training Dates Contact for Registration
Option 3

Physical Classroom Training

Practical classroom or in-house company training for food businesses and teams that need shared understanding of microbiological hazards, contamination risks, spoilage and control measures in operational environments.

  • ✓Duration: 1 day
  • ✓Onsite or in-house delivery available
  • ✓Useful for group awareness and team development
  • ✓Minimum classroom size may apply
Enquire About Onsite Training
Helpful note: this course is particularly useful for businesses and learners who need a stronger understanding of how food microbiology supports HACCP, GMP, food safety risk management, hygiene controls and laboratory result interpretation.
Course overview

Built for practical food microbiology understanding in food safety environments

This intermediate course introduces key food microbiology concepts in a way that is practical, relevant and accessible to non-microbiologists working in food safety and food handling settings.

Focused on practical understanding

The course helps learners understand organisms of food safety concern, growth conditions, contamination pathways, spoilage patterns and preventive controls in food environments.

Designed for food industry teams

It is especially useful for business owners, persons in charge, QA and QC managers, supervisors, HACCP teams, laboratory staff and environmental health practitioners.

Relevant to food safety decisions

The learning supports better understanding of microbiological test results, stronger food safety awareness and more informed decisions about hazards, controls and hygiene practices.

Course Introduction

This Introduction to Food Microbiology for non-Microbiologists training course provides an intermediate-level framework for understanding microorganisms in food environments, including bacteria, yeasts, moulds, pathogens, spoilage, growth factors, contamination sources, sampling, testing and microbiological interpretation in relation to food safety.

  • ✓Focused on practical microbiology awareness for food safety
  • ✓Useful for HACCP, GMP and hygiene-related decision-making
  • ✓Supports learners who are not specialist microbiologists

Who Should Attend?

This course is recommended for learners who need a clearer understanding of food microbiology and its practical application in food safety management, hygiene and operational control.

  • ✓Business owners or persons in charge of food premises
  • ✓QA managers and QC managers
  • ✓Production managers and supervisors
  • ✓HACCP or food safety teams
  • ✓Laboratory personnel and environmental health practitioners

Minimum prerequisites: learners should ideally have a basic understanding of HACCP principles and food safety fundamentals. A prior introductory HACCP course is recommended.

Course content

Key topics covered in the introduction to food microbiology course

The outline below reflects the core microbiology themes, contamination topics, control principles and practical interpretation skills covered during FS09 training.

Core microbiology and organism topics

  • ✓Introduction and history of food microbiology
  • ✓Introduction to bacteria and bacterial cell structure
  • ✓Gram-positive and gram-negative cell walls
  • ✓Yeasts and moulds
  • ✓How moulds are classified
  • ✓Foodborne viral infection and replication basics

Growth, contamination and control topics

  • ✓Reproduction mechanisms of microorganisms
  • ✓Cell division, sporulation and budding
  • ✓Sources of microbial contamination
  • ✓GMP and HACCP roles in controlling contamination
  • ✓Importance of good manufacturing practices
  • ✓Factors affecting microbial growth – FATTOM

Food safety, spoilage and indicator topics

  • ✓Indicator organisms
  • ✓Aerobic plate count and coliform bacteria
  • ✓Foodborne disease organisms and pathogens
  • ✓Control and preventive measures
  • ✓What is food spoilage?
  • ✓Different types of food spoilage and spoilage in refrigerated foods

Sampling, testing and interpretation topics

  • ✓Sampling and testing principles
  • ✓Sampling techniques
  • ✓How to conduct aseptic sampling
  • ✓Plate count and air settlement plates
  • ✓Interpreting microbiological results and reports
  • ✓Assessment of learner understanding
Benefits

What learners gain from this food microbiology training course

The main goal is to strengthen practical understanding of microbiology in food safety so learners can make more informed hygiene, monitoring and risk-based decisions.

Stronger microbiology understanding

Learners should leave with a better understanding of basic food microbiology and the role microorganisms play in food safety, spoilage and contamination control.

Certificate of achievement

Learners receive a certificate of achievement after successful completion. A pass rate of 70% is required to receive the course certificate.

Useful for practical decision-making

This course supports improved interpretation of microbiological testing, better understanding of foodborne hazards and stronger awareness of control measures in food handling environments.

Helpful note: this course is especially useful for learners who work closely with hygiene, sampling, testing, GMP implementation, HACCP teams or food safety monitoring but who are not specialist microbiologists.
Upcoming dates

Upcoming virtual classroom training events

Bookings in advance are recommended. If no public scheduled dates are listed, on-demand virtual and physical classroom delivery can still be arranged for food businesses, laboratories, implementation teams and groups.

Important: this Introduction to Food Microbiology course is also available through on-demand arrangements and may be offered in online self-paced format depending on availability. Use the enquiry form below for pricing, learner numbers, preferred dates and delivery format requirements.
14 April 2026
20 May 2026
22 July 2026
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Time: 09:00 am to 04:30 pm (Timezone UTC/GMT +2 hours)
Course enquiry

Need FS09 pricing, registration support or onsite delivery information?

If you need support with FS09 course registration, Introduction to Food Microbiology training enquiries, virtual classroom arrangements, onsite delivery, pricing or learner planning, complete the form and ASC will review your request.

Course code FS09 – Introduction to Food Microbiology (for non-Microbiologists)
Training formats Online self-paced, virtual instructor-led classroom, physical classroom / onsite delivery
Useful for Pricing enquiries, learner registrations, microbiology awareness, HACCP support, team development and food safety training planning
Course structure Intermediate food microbiology training covering microorganisms, contamination, growth, spoilage, pathogens, testing, interpretation and practical food safety application
Virtual support Book a virtual consultation
1. Contact details
2. Training needs
3. Course enquiry
Helpful details: learner count, training format, preferred date, city, company type and whether you need FS09 online, virtual or onsite training.
Please include the course code FS09, learner numbers, preferred delivery format, preferred dates, location and whether you require online self-paced, virtual or physical classroom delivery.
View All Food Safety Courses Book a Virtual Consultation
Frequently asked questions

Common questions about the FS09 introduction to food microbiology course

This course teaches learners the basics of food microbiology in relation to food safety, including bacteria, yeasts, moulds, foodborne pathogens, spoilage, contamination sources, growth factors, sampling, testing and result interpretation.
It is especially useful for business owners, persons in charge, QA and QC personnel, production managers, supervisors, HACCP teams, laboratory personnel and environmental health practitioners.
Yes. Learners should ideally have a basic understanding of HACCP and food safety fundamentals. An introductory HACCP course is recommended before attending.
Yes. This course may be available through an online self-paced pathway depending on availability, and it is also available through live virtual classroom or physical classroom delivery.
Yes. Learners receive a certificate of achievement after successful completion. A pass rate of 70% is required.
Yes. ASC can discuss onsite delivery, private virtual classroom arrangements and microbiology awareness training for companies, food businesses, laboratory teams and groups.
Discussion

Questions, feedback and comments

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Recent questions and responses from learners and the ASC team.