The food safety standards (external site) contained within the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Code) require food businesses to ensure that: Show
have the skills and knowledge they need to handle food safely adequate with the activities being undertaken. This means that food handlers and supervisors must have the:
For example, a food handler who is responsible for cooling cooked food must have the knowledge that the food must be cooled within a certain time to ensure it remains safe, and the skills to do this (such as by placing the food in shallow containers for cooling). There are many options that a food business can choose from to ensure that food handlers and supervisors obtain the skills and knowledge required to produce safe food. Examples of these include:
It is up to the food business to choose the most appropriate option, provided it results in the food handlers having the required skills and knowledge. For example, on-the-job training may be suitable where a food handler is able to teach others the necessary skills and knowledge, whilst more complex, technical or higher risk food handling activities may require formal training. Online or face to face training optionsFurther information on food safety and hygiene courses are available on the National Register of VET (Vocational Education and Training) website (external site). Many local government Environmental Health Services offer access to training for food handlers. You should contact the local government where your business is located for further advice. Applying skills and knowledgeIn addition to initial training it is important that food businesses continue to make sure that food handlers are applying their skills and knowledge. This is necessary to ensure that your food business complies with the requirements of the Food Safety Standards in the Code. Maintain a record of staff trainingIt is recommended that a food business maintains records of staff who have completed food handler training and ensure a copy is available at the business for assessment by an authorised officer as required. Legal requirementIt is important for a food business to be familiar with the legal requirements for food handlers specified in the Code.
Further information
Good personal hygiene can prevent food poisoning. Bacteria that cause food poisoning can be on everyone – even healthy people. You can spread bacteria from yourself to the food if you touch your nose, mouth, hair or your clothes, and then food. Good personal hygiene also makes good business sense. Customers like to see food-handling staff who take hygiene seriously and practise safe food handling. Watch how your co-workers handle food and consider it from a customer’s point of view. Would you want to eat at, or buy food from, the place you work? To prevent food poisoning using good personal hygiene, follow these tips:
Food handlers – handwashingThoroughly washing your hands reduces the chance of contaminating food with bacteria from yourself. Wash your hands with soap and warm water, and don’t forget the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails. Thoroughly dry your hands immediately after you wash them. Always dry your hands with a clean towel, disposable paper towel or under an air dryer. The important thing is to make sure your hands are completely dry. Never use a tea towel or your clothes to dry your hands. Wash your hands after:
If you are wearing disposable gloves, change them regularly – at the same times you would normally wash your hands if you weren’t wearing gloves. Wash and dry your hands before putting on gloves. Food handler health and workingFood handlers may contaminate food, so employers and employees must be careful to ensure that no illness is passed on by those working in the industry. You should not go work if you are vomiting or have diarrhoea. Don’t return to work until your symptoms have stopped for 48 hours. If you are unsure, you should contact your doctor for advice. Do not go to work if you sick with an illness that is likely to be transmitted through food. Such illnesses include gastroenteritis (often called ‘gastro’) – including viral gastroenteritis (norovirus or rotavirus) – hepatitis A and hepatitis E, sore throat with fever, and fever with jaundice. You must advise your supervisor if you are feeling unwell, including when suffering from a cold, flu, and sties and other eye infections. Food Standards Australia New Zealand explains the requirements for food handlers and food businesses. Food handlers – skills and knowledgeFood handlers need to know how their actions can affect the safety of the food they handle. Food handlers need to know:
The Australian Food Safety Standard 3.2.2 (Food Safety Practices and General Requirements) requires that people who handle food must have the appropriate skills and knowledge for the work they do. Food handlers – trainingEveryone working in a food premises are encouraged to be trained in safe food handling. DoFoodSafely, a free online learning program, is a good place to start. What are 6 responsibilities of a food handler?Examples include making, cooking, preparing, serving, packing, displaying and storing food. Food handlers can also be involved in manufacturing, producing, collecting, extracting, processing, transporting, delivering, thawing or preserving food.
What are the 4 most important principle of food safety?Following four simple steps at home—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill—can help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning.
What are 3 food safety considerations?Food safety tips. Clean. Our health is in our hands! ... . Chill. Food that is meant to be kept chilled should be! ... . Cook. Properly cooking food minimises the risk of food poisoning. ... . Separate. Cross-contamination is a major way for food borne diseases to spread.. What are the 5 foods safety rules?These five simple keys to safe and healthy food are: keep clean, separate raw and cooked, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures, and use safe water and raw materials. "Following these five keys helps consumers know they are handling foods safely and preventing microbes from multiplying," said Dr.
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