SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA 3rd Edition, November 2016 A Guide to the Food Safety Standards Chapter 3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (applies to Australia only) SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA A Guide to the Food Safety Standards Chapter 3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Australia only) Standard 3.1.1 – Interpretation and Application Standard 3.2.2 – Food Safety Practices and General Requirements Standard 3.2.3 – Food Premises and Equipment Third Edition, November 2016 II FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA © Food Standards Australia New Zealand 2016 ISBN: 978-0-642-34593-6 Published November 2016 Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of information. Information in this document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0) Licence, except for the Food Standards Australia New Zealand logo. An electronic version of this work is available on the FSANZ website at www.foodstandards.gov.au. Attribution You may copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the material in this publication by the CC BY 3.0 licence for commercial and non-commercial purposes; but you must attribute the work in the following manner: © Food Standards Australia New Zealand. This attribution must not, in any way, suggest that FSANZ endorses you or your use of the work. For more information email [email protected] FSANZ Australia FSANZ New Zealand PO Box 5423 PO Box 10559 Kingston ACT 2604 The Terrace, Wellington, 6143 Australia New Zealand Ph: +61 2 6271 2222 Ph: +64 4 473 5630 Fax: +61 2 6271 2278 Fax: +64 4 473 9855 A GUIDE TO THE FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS THIRD EDITION NOVEMBER 2016 FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA STATUS OF GUIDE III Status and context of the document This document relates to three food safety standards in Chapter 3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code). These standards apply only in Australia. They are: 3.1.1 – Interpretation and Application 3.2.2 – Food Safety Practices and General Requirements 3.2.3 – Food Premises and Equipment The information provided in this document is not legally binding. This document was prepared by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to assist government agencies responsible for enforcing the Code in Australia. State and territory food agencies are primarily responsible for interpretation and enforcement of the Code in Australia. This is because the food standards that comprise the Code are applied in Australia by state and territory food laws. It is the state and territory food laws that make failure to comply with Code requirements an offence. At the Commonwealth level, the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources administers the Imported Food Control Act 1992 (Cth), which applies the food standards to imported food. These agencies work together through the Implementation Subcommittee for Food Regulation (ISFR) to ensure food laws are implemented and enforced consistently. FSANZ prepared and published this document at the request of ISFR. FSANZ is not an enforcement agency and cannot provide advice or guidance on food compliance issues. This document will be reviewed and amended as necessary. Readers may contact the Food Safety and Response Section of FSANZ if they have feedback. Email: [email protected]. Disclaimer Food Standards Australia New Zealand makes no warranty or representation regarding the completeness, accuracy, or currency of any information contained in this document or publication or that such information will be error-free. Food Standards Australia New Zealand does not accept any legal liability or responsibility for any harm, injury, loss, damages, or costs directly or indirectly sustained by any person as a result of any use of, or reliance on, or interpretation of, the information contained in this publication. The information contained in this publication is not and should not be relied upon as legal advice nor be regarded as a substitute for legal advice. Any person relying on this information should seek independent legal advice in relation to any queries they may have regarding obligations imposed under the standards in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND FOOD STANDARDS CODE CHAPTER 3 (AUSTRALIA ONLY) IV FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA A GUIDE TO THE FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS THIRD EDITION NOVEMBER 2016 FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA CONTENTS V Contents Status and context of the document III Introduction 1 Using this guide 1 Standard 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application 3 1 Interpretation 4 2 Meaning of safe and suitable food 10 3 General application of the Food Safety Standards 12 4 Compliance 12 Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements 13 Division 1 — Interpretation and application 14 1 Interpretation 14 2 Application of this Standard 18 Division 2 — General requirements 18 3 Food handling — skills and knowledge 18 4 Notification 22 Division 3 — Food handling controls 24 6 Food storage 29 7 Food processing 32 8 Food display 42 9 Food packaging 49 10 Food transportation 52 11 Food disposal 54 12 Food recall 58 Division 4 — Health and hygiene requirements 61 Subdivision 1 — Requirements for food handlers 61 13 General requirement (on food handlers) 61 14 Health of food handlers 62 15 Hygiene of food handlers 65 Subdivision 2 — Requirements for food businesses 72 16 Health of persons who handle food — duties of food businesses 72 17 Hygiene of food handlers — duties of food businesses 74 18 General duties of food businesses 77 Division 5 — Cleaning, sanitising and maintenance 79 19 Cleanliness 79 20 Cleaning and sanitising of specific equipment 80 21 Maintenance 84 AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND FOOD STANDARDS CODE CHAPTER 3 (AUSTRALIA ONLY) VI CONTENTS FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA Division 6 — Miscellaneous 85 22 Temperature measuring devices 85 23 Single use items 90 24 Animals and pests 92 25 Alternative methods of compliance 95 Standard 3.2.3 Food Premises and Equipment 99 Division 1 — Interpretation and application 100 1 Interpretation 100 2 Application of this Standard 101 Division 2 — Design and construction of food premises 102 3 General requirements 102 4 Water supply 108 5 Sewage and waste water disposal 113 6 Storage of garbage and recyclable matter 114 7 Ventilation 116 8 Lighting 119 Division 3 — Floors, walls and ceilings 120 9 Application 120 10 Floors 120 11 Walls and ceilings 123 Division 4 — Fixtures, fittings and equipment 127 12 General requirements 127 13 Connections for specific fixtures, fittings and equipment 134 14 Hand washing facilities 136 Division 5 — Miscellaneous 142 15 Storage facilities 142 16 Toilet facilities 143 17 Food transport vehicles 144 Appendices 147 Appendix 1: Potentially hazardous foods 148 Appendix 2: The use of time as a control for potentially hazardous food 151 Appendix 3: Limits for food processes 158 Appendix 4: Foods requiring special care 162 Appendix 5: Cooling of meats after cooking 172 Appendix 6: Cleaning and sanitising surfaces and utensils 173 Appendix 7: Pest management 182 Appendix 8: Template examples 183 Appendix 9: Temporary and mobile food premises 191 Appendix 10: Home-based food businesses 204 Resources and References 211 A GUIDE TO THE FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS THIRD EDITION NOVEMBER 2016 FOOD STANDARDS AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SAFE FOOD AUSTRALIA INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction There are five national food safety standards that apply in Australia: • 3.1.1 — Interpretation and Application • 3.2.1 — Food Safety Programs • 3.2.2 — Food Safety Practices and General Requirements • 3.2.3 — Food Premises and Equipment • 3.3.1 — Food Safety Programs for Food Service to Vulnerable Persons. These standards provide a risk-based, preventative approach to providing safe and suitable food. They are based on the principle that food safety is best ensured by implementing food hygiene controls at each stage of food handling and that additional risk management tools, such as food safety programs, may be required for high-risk food industry sectors. Of the five standards, Standards 3.1.1, 3.2.2 and 3.2.3 apply to all Australian food businesses and establish fundamental requirements for minimising food safety risks. Safe Food Australia provides information to assist with understanding the intent of these three standards, including the food safety outcome(s) intended. The information in this document is primarily intended to assist enforcement authorities but it may also be useful for food businesses. Safe Food Australia includes clarifications, examples and recommendations based on scientific evidence and industry best practice. It is not an interpretation of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Food Standards Code) and is not a legally binding document. The Food Standards Code is enforced in all Australian jurisdictions through state and territory Food Acts. Food businesses needing information on complying with the food safety standards should contact their local enforcement agency for advice. Food safety risks will vary from business to business depending on the nature of the food business and the food handling operations undertaken. For example, factors such as inherent hazards in the food, the potential for contamination during food handling and how the food is processed contribute to food safety risks. Information provided in Safe Food Australia highlights factors that may contribute to these risks at each step of the food handling process. Appendixes also provide technical and practical information. Using this guide • The text of the standards is included in bold type throughout the explanatory sections of the document for convenient reference. The authoritative versions of these standards are on the Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation, accessible from the FSANZ website.