Our Public Health Nutrition Team at NHS Forth Valley offers a range of food, nutrition and practical cooking training courses to support local staff, volunteers and community members throughout Forth Valley.
Delivering food‑based activities through training is an effective way to engage people in a hands‑on, meaningful way. These activities not only encourage participation and build confidence, but they can also open pathways to further learning, skills development, and future employability opportunities.
At present, our team focuses on delivering other areas of food, nutrition and practical cooking training – please note we do not deliver Food Hygiene Training. For further information on How to access food hygiene training, see below.
Here is a flavour of some of the training courses we deliver:
- Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Accreditation
- Tasty Beginnings – is a resource offering parents practical guidance on starting their baby on solid foods. The three key messages are: keep your baby safe, encourage self-feeding, and adapt family meals.
- Make and Taste – Facilitator Training – Learn how to facilitate your own Make and Taste sessions, to help engage parents and young children through using food preparation activities.
- Mini Steps to Better Nutrition – Training can help you engage with individuals and groups you work with, to support individuals work through dietary changes at their pace, with achievable ‘mini steps’.
- Nutrition Resource Awareness Sessions
- Cooking with Groups – Community Food Development Workers offer a course for staff/volunteers wishing to deliver cooking activities for groups eg community cafes, lunch or supper clubs. The course covers key cooking skills and information on how to set up and run a cooking group, session planning, risk management, resources available, equipment required, evaluation, funding and hands on cooking. Participants must be able to cook.
For further information please email fv.publichealthnutritionteam@nhs.scot.
Online Healthy Eating Tutorial
This Healthy Eating Tutorial developed by Food Standards Scotland in collaboration with Public Health Scotland is a helpful tool for those who are looking for an introduction to nutrition and who may be required to provide healthy eating messages to others as part of their job. This could include those working in health and social care, education, community groups, local authorities, retail, catering and/or food manufacturing. This tutorial may also be of interest to consumers who want to learn more about healthy eating.
The tutorial contains three 30-minute modules and an optional final assessment.
- Find out more Healthy Eating Tutorial
REHIS Food & Health Accredited Training
Some of the courses our team delivers are REHIS accredited and with successful completion of the course and by passing the exam, attendees will receive a recognised qualification and certificate.
Elementary Cooking Skills (REHIS)
This accredited course offers a certificate in basic cooking skills and is aimed at people who have limited cooking skills and where a qualification would be useful for education or employment opportunities. The aim of the course is to provide participants with basic cooking skills that increases confidence, skills and knowledge.
- Find out more about REHIS Elementary Cooking Skills Course
Introduction to Food and Health Course (REHIS)
This certified course which is non-clinical typically runs for about 3 hours – it is a short, non-examined course designed to give a basic understanding of healthy eating, nutrition and health.
- Find out more about REHIS – Introduction to Food and Health Course
Elementary Food and Health Course (REHIS)
Elementary Food and Health course is suitable for staff and volunteers who are interested in the relationship between diet and wellbeing. It is ideal for staff and volunteers in community cafes, nursery staff, care workers, home-helps, and individuals looking to improve their nutritional knowledge. This is a six-hour course covering key nutrition messages.
- Find out more about REHIS – Elementary Food and Health Course
Eating Well for Older People (REHIS)
The REHIS Eating Well for Older People is a certified course that aims to provide participants with the knowledge and appreciation of the importance of good nutrition for older people and how to support them to eat well. The course is non-clinical and would be suitable for anyone working with older people in the community or for older people themselves.
- Find out more about REHIS – Eating Well for Older People Course
For further information please email fv.publichealthnutritionteam@nhs.scot.
How to access food hygiene training
At present, our team focuses on delivering other areas of food, nutrition and practical cooking training – please note we do not deliver Food Hygiene Training.
See details below of where to access Food Hygiene training:
- Forth Valley College– Forth Valley College deliver a range of Hospitality and Cookery Courses including the Food Hygiene courses. Costs apply to these courses.
- REHIS – The Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland – REHIS have a range of Community Training Courses available, some are delivered face to face whilst others are available as an online learning course. Courses include Introduction and Elementary Food Hygiene as well as other food, health and cooking courses. Costs apply to these courses.
- Virtual College – Virtual College have a range of online food hygiene and food safety training courses – find out more here. Costs apply to these courses.
Online Healthy Eating Tutorial
This Healthy Eating Tutorial is a helpful tool for those who are looking for an introduction to nutrition and who may be required to provide healthy eating messages to others as part of their job. This could include those working in health and social care, education, community groups, local authorities, retail, catering and/or food manufacturing. This tutorial may also be of interest to consumers who want to learn more about healthy eating.
The tutorial has been developed by Food Standards Scotland in collaboration with Public Health Scotland.
The tutorial contains three 30-minute modules and an optional final assessment.
- Find out more Healthy Eating Tutorial