The City recommends all businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry make themselves familiar with this training requirement, and complete the course as soon as possible.
If you have any questions or need help measuring your premises, please contact the City’s Health Services.
Food Safety Information
Takeaway and home delivery
The City understands a number of you have transitioned to providing their menu for takeaway or delivery. Food safety during this time is still crucial - it is important that growth of food poisoning microorganisms is minimised. Remember you customers are your business and you need to keep them safe!
Temperature control
Consider your delivery area:
- UberEats, Deliveroo, Menulog and the like restrict the delivery area so the food remains hot or cold upon service to the customer, which minimises the time out of temperature control to consumption by the customer.
- If you are offering delivery by utilising your staff, then you should also restrict the delivery area so the travel time is no more than 15 minutes for a single order.
- If your staff are delivering several orders so there may be an extended travel time for your last delivery, you will need to use cold storage such as eskies and ice bricks or insulated bags for hot food.
- Cold foods must be stored below 5ºC and hot foods kept above 60ºC.
Protection from contamination
- Packaging should be food grade and stored in clean sealed containers to prevent dust, dirt, foreign objects and pests from contaminating it.
- Food should be delivered in sealed food grade containers or boxes in a clean bag.
- The delivery vehicle should be in a clean and sanitary condition.
Labelling
If you are manufacturing foods that are not ready-to-eat such as frozen or fresh meals or shelf stable items like preserves you will need to consider the labelling requirements under the Food Standards Code Chapter 1.2. To assist in interpretation please refer to the FSANZ User Guides.
Do I need to have a label?
The FSANZ User Guide Overview and Application of Food Labelling and Information Requirements can be used to assist in determining if a label is required. There are some exemptions that apply to ‘food for retail sale’ (refer to B3 on page 22 and the examples on pages 32 and 33 for determining when a label is required).
What might my label need to include?
Some things you need to consider including in your labels:
- Name of food
- Date marking (i.e. shelf life testing as determined by a NATA accredited laboratory)
- Ingredient list include mandatory declarations (e.g. allergens)
- Nutrition information
- Name and business address (must be a physical address where the product is manufactured, not a postal address)
- Lot identification
Food handler hygiene
It is now, more than ever, critical that all food handlers at your premises engage in good hand hygiene practices. Food handlers must wash their hands, using liquid soap and drying with single use towel:
| Before Starting Work |
Before handling cooked or ready-to-eat food |
| After handling or preparing raw food |
After handling waste |
| After cleaning duties |
After using the bathroom/toilet |
| After blowing nose, sneezing, coughing or using a tissue |
After smoking, eating or drinking |
| After handling money, before performing another task |
After doing anything else that could make your hands dirty, like handling garbage, touching animals or children, or cleaning duties |
Please see this link for more guidance on proper handwashing technique.
Health of food handlers
If food handlers are experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms, they should be staying home.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever; flu-like symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing; difficulty breathing; sore throat; fatigue.
Food handlers must tell their supervisors (a log should be recorded), not handle food and should only return when a doctor says they are well enough (usually 48 hours after symptoms have stopped). Please note, this 48hour guidance does not apply to those in self isolation or quarantine.
Please see this link for further information on self-isolation and quarantine.
Further information on food handler hygiene requirements under the Food Standards Code can be found here.
Cleaning and sanitising
Ensure food contact equipment, such as kitchen benches, knives, chopping boards, pots, and meat slicers etc., as well as eating and drinking utensils, are in a clean and sanitary condition. For more information on cleaning and sanitising please see this link.
Additional cleaning and sanitising measures may include:
- Making hand sanitiser available and visible on premises;
- Sanitising seats, tables etc. after every use;
- Regularly clean all frequent touch surfaces like door handles, bathrooms, etc; and
- Carry out repeated and constant general cleaning and emptying of waste bins frequently.
Skills and knowledge
We would encourage you to have all food handlers at your premises complete the FoodSafe online course and display their certificate to your patrons to see, as a demonstration of your commitment to ongoing food safety and handler hygiene.
Please find below the link to a free online food safety course. It is requested at the completion of the course, you provide the City a list of food handlers (full name) who have completed the course.
Course link - https://www.ehawa.org.au/events/category/foodsafe-online-43
Your Unique Code - FSVINCE353
General requirements
Just a friendly reminder that the business must comply with Food Standards Code Chapters 3.2.2 and 3.2.3. You can refer to Safe Food Australia for an explanation guide to these Standards.
FZANZ have released a handy fact sheet to assist food businesses in this challenging time.
Where can I find more information?