Food safety and licensing

Food Safety Standard 3.2.2A

 

1. What are the food safety management tools?

A new Australian Food Safety Standard 3.2.2A - Food Safety Management Tools, has now come into effect. 

The new standard became law on 8 December 2022 and has a 12-month transition period for businesses to comply. This means that your business should aim to implement the standard before 8 December 2023.

The standard introduces new requirements for catering, retail and food service businesses (e.g. restaurants, cafes, fast food, and bakeries) that handle unpackaged, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous foods.

Businesses are classified into either Category 1 or Category 2 businesses. Based on the category of your business, you may need to implement either two or three new food safety management tools. 

 

2. Which category business am I?
Category 1 Category 2
Businesses that make and serve food that is potentially hazardous and ready-to-eat. Businesses that sell unpackaged ready-to-eat food that is not made by the business. 

Examples:

  • Restaurants
  • Cafes
  • Pubs
  • Childcare centres
  • Fast food outlets
  • Takeaway shops
  • Bakeries
  • Caterers
  • Motels
  • Delicatessens or the like that cook chickens or prepare other potentially hazardous foods.

Examples:

  • Supermarkets
  • Delicatessens
  • Service stations (if slicing and/ or reheating food only)

Tools required:

  1. Food Handler training;
  2. Food Safety Supervisor; and,
  3. Substantiation of key food handling activities.

Tools required:

  1. Food Handler training; and,
  2. Food Safety Supervisor.

If you are unsure of where your business fits, please contact Council's Environmental Health Services.

 

3. Food Handler Training - Category 1 and 2 Businesses

For more information on Food Handler training, please click here.

 

4. Food Safety Supervisor - Category 1 and 2 Businesses 

For more information on Food Safety Supervisors, please click here. 

 

5. Substantiation of food handling activities - Category 1 Businesses

Businesses doing any of the following "prescribed activities"; receiving, storing, processing (cooking), cooling, reheating, transporting and display of potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food must either:

  • keep a record of food safety controls, activities, and processes to show that each activity performed by the business is compliant with the Food Safety Standards; or,
  • demonstrate on request that the business is compliant with the Food Safety Standards. 

How can my business meet this requirement?

Keeping records in the form of:

  • written record on paper or electronic format; 
  • written instructions or standard operating procedure that have been verified;
  • notes on invoices (e.g. receival temperature); or,
  • photos or video footage.

Or

Consider strategies you can implement that enable you to clearly demonstrate the below:

Prescribed Activity Substantiation Requirement
Food receipt Show that all measures are taken to ensure acceptance of potentially hazardous foods that are below 5ºC or above 60ºC.
Food storage Demonstrate that potentially hazardous food is stored under appropriate temperature control. 
Food processing Provide evidence that a process step is reasonably known to destroy pathogens and is used to achieve microbiological safety of the food. 
Food cooling

Prove that when cooling cooked potentially hazardous food, that the food is cooled:

  • from 60ºC to 21ºC within 2 hours; and,
  • from 21ºC to 5ºC within a further 4 hours. 
Food reheating

Demonstrate that when reheating cooked and cooled potentially hazardous food, that a process is used that rapidly heats the food to above 60ºC.
Food display Show that potentially hazardous food is displayed under effective temperature control.
Food transport Provide evidence that potentially hazardous food is transported under appropriate temperature control.
Cleaning and sanitising Demonstrate that all eating and drinking utensils, and food contact surfaces and equipment are cleaned and sanitised before use.

 

6. What is potentially hazardous food?

Potentially hazardous food (PHF) is food that needs to be kept at specific temperature ranges to minimise growth of pathogenic bacteria or formation of toxins. 

It includes:

  • raw and cooked meat,
  • poultry,
  • seafood,
  • dairy products,
  • eggs,
  • cooked rice and pasta,
  • cut fruit and vegetables,
  • beans,
  • nuts and other protein-rich foods.

If a food item or meal contains the above, it may also be considered a PHF (e.g. sandwiches, pizzas, rice rolls).