Food Act report 2013 Making it safer 4 Clinical review of area mental health services 1997-2004 Food Act report 2013 Making it safer This report has been developed as required under the Food Act 1984 (s. 7C). To receive this publication in an accessible format phone 1300 364 352 using the National Relay Service 13 36 77 if required, or email: [email protected] Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne. © State of Victoria, October 2014 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au). It is a condition of this licence that you credit the State of Victoria as author. Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this publication show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This work is available at: www.health.vic.gov.au/foodsafety Printed by Impact Digital, Brunswick on sustainable paper (1411008) ISSN 2200–1220 (Print) ISSN 2200–1239 (Online) Minister’s foreword An effective food safety system is essential to protect While the core work of regulating food businesses and Victorians’ health and prosperity. It is also vital in enabling enforcing of the Food Act has continued, the Streatrader our state to assure the safety and quality of food products system, which has provided online registration/notification for international trade. for food vans and stalls, is one of the highlights of 2013. Streatrader marked its first birthday by exceeding the Victoria has made great strides in food safety policy most optimistic predictions of trader uptake. This online and regulation. In recent years major changes to the statewide registration scheme for food vans and stalls, Food Act 1984 and the Food Standards Code have launched in October 2012, was expected to cater been implemented. Microbiological surveillance of food for 5,000 vendors. By December 2013, 12,996 food being sold across the state is being upgraded to enable businesses and community groups had taken advantage electronic reporting of laboratory statistics about the of the option of operating anywhere in Victoria from any analysis of food. Another major focus is on training for number of premises, under the one approval. local government officers who administer the Act in order to encourage a consistent approach across all The department also strengthened the state’s food safety municipalities in the state. audit system in 2013. Improved guidance has been provided to food safety auditors certified under the The education of food handlers about how to handle Food Act. This included guidance on consistent and food for sale safely is also important for the community effective conduct of statutory audits of food businesses and businesses. There is help in person and also online to that handle unpackaged high-risk food. assist food premises to meet their food safety obligations. And there have been big steps in public information, I am pleased to recommend this report to all those education and communication on food safety. with an interest in the performance of our food safety regulatory system. As a result, Victoria’s food safety regulatory system is science-based, risk-based and proportionate. It uses information to enhance knowledge and to improve food safety overall. It seeks to minimise the occurrence of foodborne hazards. In all this, Victoria has been part of a global trend towards a focus on prevention, harmonisation and transparency. The Hon. David Davis MP However, we must remember that food safety is never a static, permanent attribute of our food supply. The safety Minister for Health and quality of our food supply requires all players – food producers, processors, retailers and households – to shoulder their own food safety responsibilities at all steps in the food chain every day. From the Municipal Association of Victoria By any measure, the production, sale and consumption We welcome the close connection of local government of food is huge in Victoria, with more than six billion meals with other Victorian Government agencies involved in eaten each year, more than $7 billion generated in food food safety regulation, particularly the relationship with exports, and employment of more than 230,000 people. the Department of Environment and Primary Industries In national terms, 47 per cent of Australia’s prepared food that is emerging, such as collaborating to introduce a products are produced in Victoria. Many thousands of new national egg standard. We look forward to continuing large, medium and small-scale businesses’ reputations to participate with the Victorian Food Regulators Forum depend on being regarded as suppliers of safe, high-quality on behalf of local government. food, both for their domestic markets and, increasingly, We also look forward to continuing to work with the their international markets. Minister for Health and his department on food safety As a consequence, it is very important that Victoria’s regulation reform. Although many of the major reforms councils, as the main regulators of food retailers, introduced in 2009 have now been delivered, the ever- administer their regulatory responsibilities in an effective changing food industry and evolving business practices way. This should both minimise the incidence of mean that the partnership between state and local foodborne illness and reduce unnecessary regulatory governments is as important as ever. costs for businesses. It is no easy task. The nature of food production, together with the way food is handled and consumers’ vulnerability to illness, introduce many components of risk. A wide range of food handling activities need to be assessed as part of the regulatory inspections councils undertake. Rob Spence A highlight of 2013 has been the wholehearted take-up Chief Executive Officer of the Streatrader online registration system for temporary Municipal Association of Victoria and mobile food premises. The MAV project-managed this work in partnership with the Department of Health. Technological solutions to problems seem easy in concept, but in reality building this IT system, which is used by many thousands of businesses and community organisations and officers from all of Victoria’s 79 councils in real-time 24/7, was a great feat. Transparency in relation to councils’ regulatory activities was also ongoing in 2013 and the MAV thanks councils for their extensive cooperation in reporting their regulatory activity data to the Department of Health. Councils’ involvement in food safety regulation provides an important local touchstone with food businesses, which is particularly valuable for small- to medium-sized businesses. In 2013 council officers spent considerable time and effort with food business proprietors providing advice about how they can meet their regulatory responsibilities to provide safe food for sale. Food Act report 2013 Making it safer Contents About us 1 About this report 2 Victoria’s food industry 3 Food safety regulation in Victoria 4 Highlights 6 Food safety incidents 9 Food premises registrations and notifications 15 Fixed food premises 18 Temporary and mobile food premises 25 Compliance and enforcement approaches 51 Surveillance and science 63 Evidence for policy 67 Workforce 73 Communication 77 National scene 83 Appendices 89 Appendix 1: Data sources, specifications and limitations 90 Appendix 2: Governance 95 Appendix 3: Functions, accountabilities and legislation 97 Appendix 4: Class 1–3 fixed food premises registrations by class, region and municipality, Victoria, 99 as at December 2013 Appendix 5: Class 1–3 fixed food premises registrations by class, region and municipality type, Victoria, 102 as at December 2013 Appendix 6: Municipalities by number of class 1–3 fixed food premises registrations by class, Victoria, 105 as at December 2013 Appendix 7: Class 1–3 fixed food premises by number and rate per 10,000 persons, Victoria 2013 108 Appendix 8: Class 2–4 temporary and mobile food premises by Department of Health region 111 and municipality in which their principal councils were located, Victoria, as at December 2013 Appendix 9: Class 2–4 temporary and mobile food premises with a Streatrader account 115 by month, region and municipality, Victoria, 2013 Appendix 10a: Class 2–3 temporary and mobile food premises by initial registration, class, region 119 and municipality, as at December 2013 Appendix 10b: Class 2–3 temporary and mobile food premises by renewed registration, class, region 123 and municipality, as at December 2013 Appendix 11: Class 4 temporary and mobile food premises by initial notification and principal council, 127 Victoria, as at December 2013 Appendix 12: Number of municipalities in which temporary and mobile proprietors operated by region, 131 Victoria, 2013 Appendix 13: Offences under the Food Act 1984 that resulted in a conviction, by type of offence, 132 Victoria, 2013 Appendix 14: Resources and publications 135 Appendix 15: Major food safety and related committees 136 Appendix 16: Websites 143 Appendix 17: Acronyms and abbreviations 144 Appendix 18: Glossary of terms 145 References 150 Food Act report 2013 Making it safer List of figures Figure 1: Incidents and complaints reported to the Department of Health, Victoria, 2013 11 Figure 2: Class 1–3 fixed premises registrations, Victoria, as at December 2013 18 Figure 3: Class 1–3 fixed food premises registrations by Department of Health region, Victoria, as at December 2013 18 Figure 4a: Class