Our mission
Everyone in the UK should be able to keep their food safe, whatever language they speak.
We make free, picture-led food safety flyers in the languages people speak at home, so that fewer people get food poisoning.
The problem we're solving
Food poisoning is common, costly and easy to prevent. But the advice that prevents it doesn't reach the people who can't read it.
cases of food poisoning in the UK every year
Food Standards Agencya year: the cost to the UK in lost work, NHS care and lost quality of life
Food Standards Agency, 2018 figurespeople in England and Wales can't speak English well, or at all
Census 2021English and Welsh are the only languages current official advice comes in
Food Standards Agency, 2026What's missing
We looked at everything available in November 2026. This is what we found.
- Nothing for people at home. No current UK guide to keeping food safe at home exists in any language other than English and Welsh.
- Nothing for people using food banks. There is no guidance in any language on storing, freezing or using donated food.
- Old translations. Every official translation dates from before 2018, and some go back to 2001 or 2004. Several are now marked "historic".
- Business only. Most of what does exist is written for food businesses, or covers allergens only.
- Not UK advice. The most widely translated poster, from the World Health Organization, doesn't cover UK rules: use-by dates, fridges at 5°C or reheating.
Why it matters
Food poisoning hits hardest the people who can least afford it: young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone with a weak immune system.
People who are new to the UK often face crowded housing, shared kitchens and fridges that don't work well. Many rely on food banks, where food may be close to its date or need freezing.
The UK has its own labels and rules. "Use by" is about safety. "Best before" is about quality. A fridge should be 5°C or colder. These aren't the same everywhere, and nobody is explaining them in the languages people actually speak.
Community food providers want simple posters and short guides to hand out. The Food Standards Agency's own 2022 research found exactly that.
How we do it
Pictures first
Big icons, simple numbers and very few words. You can understand a flyer even if reading is hard.
UK advice, correctly
Everything is based on Food Standards Agency and NHS advice, which we're allowed to adapt under the Open Government Licence.
Checked by native speakers
Every translation is checked by someone who speaks the language. Until then, it's clearly marked as a draft.
Free, always
Free to download, print and share. No sign-up and no adverts.
Three levels
Home cooking, cooking for others, and running a food business.
What's next
- Native-speaker checks. Every translation reviewed and marked final.
- More languages. Arabic, Ukrainian, Dari and Farsi, Pashto, Tigrinya, Kurdish and Somali, the languages of people who've arrived more recently.
- Pocket cards and food bank packs. One topic per card: handwashing, the fridge, raw meat, dates on food, freezing and leftovers.
- Healthy eating. Simple, picture-led guides to healthy, affordable meals.
Get involved
Speak one of our languages? Help us check a translation.
Run a food bank, kitchen or community group? Tell us which languages you need.
General questions: hello@cleanhands.org.uk
Printed packs, new languages or translation mistakes: support@cleanhands.org.uk
Not official advice
Clean Hands is independent. We're not part of the Food Standards Agency, the NHS or the government. For full guidance, see food.gov.uk and nhs.uk.