Jessie de Peffer
EHEDG and Freshheads develop online tests to improve food safety
Customers
Platformization
Processes
Sep 22, 2025
Food safety starts with the right knowledge for specialists in the food industry. And that’s where EHEDG comes in. EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) helps organizations in the food industry work safely from the beginning of the food production process. With their guidelines, physical training, and tests, they ensure that everyone has the right knowledge of hygienic design of machines that process food, so they remain safe and clean. Together with Freshheads, they are now working on a digital tool that makes examination easier and more scalable.
The challenge: Global fragmentation
EHEDG is active in more than fifty countries, has over 800 member organizations, and a network of 5000+ people. You can imagine that knowledge development and testing become fragmented. They are working on improving these processes by implementing e-learnings, an app for quiz questions, and one central environment for online exams. For the latter, they recently took the first steps with Freshheads.
We chose a first focus together: the central exam platform. “We have around 60 trainers worldwide,” says Joshua Rodulfo of EHEDG. “With one digital environment, they can administer identical tests, thereby increasing the quality of the exams and making them easier and quicker to conduct.”
From strategy to design
A platform that needs to work in dozens of countries requires good preparation and thorough research. “We started with an extensive design phase,” says Fee Schakenraad, business strategist at Freshheads. “Together with EHEDG, we spoke with trainers, participants, and other stakeholders to pinpoint what they need.”
Based on this, we set goals, outlined user flows, and clarified what the platform needs to do. Joshua: “Freshheads involves us in everything. We really work as one team.”
The first step in raising the standard
The first phase is complete: the new exam platform is being tested by EHEDG and by professionals taking a real exam. We use their feedback to further improve the platform in the second phase.
With this platform, EHEDG develops the exams itself, thereby setting the standard in the market. An EHEDG certificate must be valuable, so the quality of the exam is crucial; for the test and for the training that precedes it.
Joshua: “Our mission is to raise the standard worldwide in the field of hygienic design to produce food in a safer way. With this platform, we are truly taking a big step forward.”