FOOD SAFETY
Over the past ten years ANZFA (Australian & New Zealand Food Authority) have put together new Food Safety Standards.
ANZFA wrote the standards so that we would have uniform food safety laws across all of the Australian states.
These new food safety standards were to bring uniformity to the food laws across Australia, however, the not all of the states have adopted all of the four new ANZFA standards! So, there is still no uniformity - unfortunately.
Generally, every one agrees that food must be safe to eat... so that is a start.
The one thing that is in common across all the states is that there are certain things that need to be done & temperatures to measure, check & adhere to, etc - all to ensure safe food.
In NSW, some of the standards were made law in Feb 2001 with the requirement for notification of the food business coming into effect in Feb 2002. There is no requirement for a written > manual= type of system as yet.
In S.A. written food safety systems are not yet required (as per the new standards) however they have implemented tougher penalties if food poisoning does occur.
W.A. have implemented the majority of the standards but A places the consistent legal obligation on all food businesses to produce safe and suitable food.@
It is also mandatory to wear suitable hair covering in all Class 1 & 2 food preparation areas (eg: restaurant kitchens, take aways, deli= s, etc)
In Queensland, again, the majority accepted.
Victoria & Tasmania, however, are way ahead in that they are enforcing food safety & written food safety systems widely. This will bring safer food & greater consumer confidence.
All of the (four) standards can be downloaded from the ANZFA website at: www.anzfa.gov.au
It is now stated in law that food must be > safe to eat= . This means that everyone who handles food at any point of the food chain has to ensure that the food is safe while in their control. It doesn= t only fall to manufacturers to keep the food safe, or transporters to keep the refrigeration on ... etc. If only one person mishandles the food, the bacteria levels or contamination by some type of foreign matter can make the food unsafe & so run= s the risk of making someone ill ..... or worse.
ANZFA report that 11,500 people each day become ill with some form of food borne illness. These are people who are so ill that they had to go to the doctor. Not just those who felt a little queezie (or worse) but felt better in the morning.
These standards are to hopefully cut this number down to something a little more reasonable.
What this means for Food Retailers:
As mentioned previously, some states require a written system, & others not > as yet= .
But, with the new standards in place & law, it means that initially you may have to do one or two new things ... but, in the end it will mean safer food for the consumer.
If these new laws are not complied with, the result can be food poisoning of one or more consumers. Heavy penalties will apply for negligence, not only for the business but also for owners, directors and even can apply to employees.
Would your insurance cover this? ... check with your insurance Company.
There may be a few new procedures to implement in your business. Some of these are discussed below, but help can be found if needed through your local council health inspectors or through the Health Dept in your state. If more help is needed there are Food Safety Consulting Companies you can also contact - just check that they are registered to do what it is that you need help with.
All of these new procedures, good records, etc can also go to prove due diligence should this be needed. Heaven forbid that there are any more food poisoning outbreaks which result in suing the food business .... but if it happens to you, you need to be able to protect yourself and your business - for this you need more than just A your word@ that the food was handled & stored correctly. You need proper records to back you up.
Keeping of some types of records like temperatures for storage etc is not > required= in all states - you need to check with local health inspectors to see what is necessary..... but don= t forget that these can provide due diligence records for you, so, even if it is not mandatory - it may make good sense.
Cleaning:
Testing swabs can also be used if you wish to test how well the cleaning is being done.
Personnel:
Hygiene:
Premises:
This means no broken tiles, floors and walls which are impervious. Screens on windows, and, generally vermin proof.
Food Handling:
At receipt you need to make sure that chilled or hot products are at safe temperatures. To do this as well as many other temperature requirements the food business will need an accurate thermometer. If > temperature sensitive= products are received at temperatures other than those listed below - they should be rejected. If you don= t know how long the food has been over temperature, you cannot reasonably assume that it is safe & if it is not safe, you shouldn= t sell it - in fact it is against the law to sell unsafe food. Packs of products also need to be checked to make sure that there is no damage.
Storage needs to be controlled - especially chilled and hot storage. This must be at safe temperatures.
Displays need to be checked to ensure that products are being kept at the same safe temperatures. Displays also need to be segregated so that no raw product comes into contact with any cooked products.
Safe Temperatures:
Chilled product .......... 0 - 5E C
Chilled storage .......... 0 - 5E C
Hot product ............... >60E C
Hot storage ............... > 60E C
Frozen product ......... <-18E C
General:
Food poisoning can kill - this has happened in Australia - the directors of at least one Company, through their negligence were jailed.
Many of the people who you would sell food to in your business will be A sensitive consumers@ . These are people for whom only a small amount of bacteria will cause illness. They do not have a healthy immune system & so become ill from very little. Some of these sensitive consumers include the young, elderly, pregnant/nursing mothers, and people with an already weakened immune system.
Food must be safe enough for one of these people to consume as you don= t know if the person purchasing the product will eat it or feed it to someone else.
Food must be safe to eat & it is the responsibility of every food handler to ensure that this is complied with.
We know what causes illness these days and how to prevent food borne illness from happening - all we need to do is follow these good procedures.
It must not just to be left to > good luck= anymore, it must now be more > good management= to make sure we are all kept safe and well & enjoy our food.
In the next issue our column will provide you with a little more information on how to implement some of the food safety procedures.
One of the areas to look at to ensure foods is safe is to make sure that the premises are appropriate. All personnel should have sort of hygiene training. It is usually assumed that people have a reasonable level of personal hygiene, but, this cannot be just > assumed= to be OK when dealing with food for the public. Training needs to be completed for any personnel who handle food. This training needs to be commensurate with their role in the business and the tasks they need to do. You need to provide for appropriate cleaning of all surfaces that the food may contact. The food safety laws in each state have now changed. You need to know how this affects you & what your business does.
