Version 1.0 · 2026-07-23. One statement per credential: what it attests, what it does not, and how it is earned. Written for candidates, employers and accreditation assessors alike.
CAIBOK is a certification body. It owns the standard and evaluates competency. It does not
deliver training and does not endorse any training provider — see the Commercial Firewall
Policy v1.0 and /independence.
Each statement below adds its own limits. These apply to all of them.
A CAIBOK credential is not a licence. It confers no legal right to work in any jurisdiction. Where a country, state or municipality requires a licence, permit, registration or health card, the holder must obtain that separately from the competent authority. CAIBOK credentials do not substitute for, satisfy, or shorten any such requirement.
A CAIBOK credential does not replace a local food-handler or food-manager card. CAIBOK records and verifies such cards (see White Belt) — it does not issue them.
No CAIBOK credential attests hands-on ability. Assessment is by written examination. Knife skills, cookery technique, plating execution, speed, consistency under service pressure and any other psychomotor competence are outside the scope of every credential in this document. A credential attests that the holder knows the standard and can reason about applying it; it does not attest that they can perform it to standard in a kitchen. Employers should continue to assess practical ability directly — a trade test, a stage, or a working interview.
A credential attests competence at a point in time. Belt credentials carry a validity period and continuing-education obligations. A lapsed credential does not attest current competence.
Purchase is not attainment. Fees buy access to assessment. They do not buy a credential, and
candidates fail. Certification decisions rest solely on assessment results and are reserved to the
Board of Trustees (see CAIBOK-GOV-001).
Not an examination. Not a certification. A verification.
What it attests: that CAIBOK has sighted and recorded a food-handler (or higher) food-safety certificate issued to the holder by a third party, and that the certificate was current on the date recorded.
How it is earned: by attestation — the holder uploads an external food-safety card, or a Black Belt Chef Basic Food Safety certificate. CAIBOK does not examine for it.
What it does NOT attest: - It is not a CAIBOK assessment of food-safety competence. The assessment was somebody else's. - It does not validate the issuing body, the syllabus, or the rigour behind the underlying card. - It is not a substitute for the card itself. Employers and inspectors should ask for the card.
Validity: tied to the underlying card. It is the anchor date for the holder's CAIBOK clocks.
Scope status: registration service. Outside accredited certification scope.
A readiness statement, not a certification.
What it attests: that the holder has demonstrated, by written examination, the knowledge expected of someone ready to begin work as a commis — food safety at manager level, workplace safety, foundational cookery knowledge, and how a kitchen operates as a business.
How it is earned: the four Brown anchors — 2110 Food Safety Manager (by attestation of a manager-level food-safety card), 2120 Workplace Safety, 2200 Cooking, 2300 Business — plus the Brown capstone. No electives are required.
What it does NOT attest: - It does not attest that the holder can cook to a professional standard. It is a knowledge threshold for entering the kitchen, not evidence of craft. - It does not attest any supervisory capability. - It is not a qualification, a licence, or a substitute for an apprenticeship.
Scope status: readiness statement, deliberately outside accredited certification scope. Consequently the Brown examinations are not proctored.
What it attests: that the holder has demonstrated, by written examination, the knowledge required to run a station: to execute their own section to standard, apply food-safety and workplace-safety requirements within it, work to standardised recipes and costings, and operate within a kitchen team.
How it is earned: 6 anchors (3101, 3201, 3220, 3301, 3304, 3322) + 2 electives + the proctored Green capstone, holding the Brown Belt and a current White Belt.
What it does NOT attest: - It does not attest knife skills or any practical cookery ability — see the general limits. - It does not attest capability to run a shift or supervise a brigade. That is the Red Belt. - It does not attest menu or financial ownership.
Scope status: certification. Within intended accredited scope. Capstone proctored.
What it attests: that the holder has demonstrated, by written examination, the knowledge required to run a shift: to supervise a brigade in service, verify others' work against the standard, manage stock and cost within delegated limits, and hold command of the kitchen in the head chef's absence within delegated authority.
How it is earned: 6 anchors (4102, 4127, 4211, 4220, 4301, 4314) + 2 electives + the proctored Red capstone, holding the Green Belt and a current White Belt.
What it does NOT attest: - It does not attest practical cookery or knife ability. - It does not attest ownership of the standard — a sous chef exercises borrowed authority. Setting the kitchen's standards is the Black Belt. - It does not attest financial accountability for the kitchen as a business unit.
Scope status: certification. Within intended accredited scope. Capstone proctored.
What it attests: that the holder has demonstrated, by written examination, the knowledge required to run a kitchen: to establish and own its standards, design menus, carry financial accountability for the operation, lead and develop the brigade, and answer for food safety and workplace safety as the responsible person.
How it is earned: 6 anchors (5102, 5121, 5204, 5301, 5304, 5314) + 3 electives, of which at least one must be from the Professional Cooking pillar + the proctored Black capstone, holding the Red Belt and a current White Belt.
What it does NOT attest: - It does not attest practical cookery or knife ability. - It does not attest multi-site or executive-level practice. A future Fellowship will address multi-outlet practice; criteria will be published when it exists.
Scope status: certification. Within intended accredited scope. Capstone proctored.
What it attests: that the holder has demonstrated, by written examination, knowledge across the operational, legal, cost, talent and strategic domains of running a restaurant business.
How it is earned: the certificate's defined subject set plus its capstone, holding a current White Belt.
What it does NOT attest: - It is not a belt and does not sit on the brigade ladder. - It does not attest culinary competence at any level. - It does not attest legal or financial professional competence. It is not an accounting, employment-law or food-law qualification, and must not be represented as one.
Scope status: certification. Capstone proctored.
The following were previously planned or offered and are suspended from CAIBOK scope (2026-07-23): Certificate in Restaurant Marketing · Certified Line Cook · Certified Food Safety Lead · Certified Kitchen Supervisor.
Why: CAIBOK's job-task analysis covers chef roles across the Green, Red and Black levels. It does not cover restaurant marketing, and the three role credentials were never grounded in analysed task areas. Certification scope must not exceed what the job analysis supports, so they were withdrawn rather than defended.
These subjects remain available as training, and Black Belt Chef issues certificates of completion for them. A certificate of completion records that someone finished a course. It is not a CAIBOK credential, is not a certification, and must never be represented as one.
Reviewed at least annually and whenever the scheme changes. Changes are approved by the Board of
Trustees under CAIBOK-GOV-001.
Related: CAIBOK-ANCHOR-ELECTIVE-POLICY.md · CAIBOK-RECOGNITION-POLICY-PUBLIC.md ·
CAIBOK_Commercial_Firewall_Policy.md · CAIBOK-GOV-001 (Governance & Impartiality Framework).