Electrical Equipment

Food Handling Guidelines

Applicable at all Foodservice Industry Association Events

These guidelines apply to all exhibitors who are participating in the FIA tradeshow.

About the NSW Food Authority: The NSW Food Authority is the government organisation that helps ensure NSW food is safe and correctly labelled. It works with consumers, industry and other government organisations to minimise food poisoning by providing information about and regulating the safe production, storage, transport, promotion and preparation of food.

Note: This information is a general summary and cannot cover all situations. Food businesses are required to comply with all of the provisions of the Food Standards Code and the Food Act 2003 (NSW).

A food handler is anyone who works in a food business and handles food, or surfaces that are likely to come into contact with food (e.g. cutlery, plates). A food handler may be involved in food preparation, production, cooking, display, packing, storage or service.

Responsibilities of food handlers

Under the Food Standards Code, a food handler must take all reasonable measures not to handle food or food surfaces in a way that is likely to compromise the safety and suitability of food.
Food handlers also have specific responsibilities relating to health and hygiene

Health requirements

Any food handler with symptoms or a diagnosis of an illness (such as vomiting, diarrhoea or fever) must:

• report that they are ill to their employer or supervisor
• not handle food if there is a reasonable likelihood of food contamination as a result of the illness
• if continuing to engage in other work on the food premises, take all practicable measures to prevent food from being contaminated
  
• notify a supervisor if they know or suspect they may have contaminated food.
  

Effective hand washing

Hand washing is one of the most important actions you can take to prevent foodborne illness.
Food handlers must:

• wash their hands using hot, soapy water and dry them thoroughly with single-use paper towels
• wash their hands whenever they are likely to be a source of contamination (after using the toilet, smoking, coughing, sneezing, using a handkerchief, eating, drinking or touching the hair, scalp or body)
• wash their hands before handling ready-to-eat food and after handling raw food.
  
  

Hygiene requirements

Food handlers must:

• not eat, sneeze, blow, cough, spit or smoke around food or food surfaces
• take all practicable measures to prevent unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food
• Tie back long hair, and take all practical measures to prevent hair contaminating food
• ensure clothing is clean
• cover bandages and dressings on exposed parts of the body with a waterproof covering
• remove loose jewellery and avoid wearing jewellery on hands and wrists.

Use of gloves

The Food Standards Code does not require food handlers to use gloves.

Even when wearing gloves, in many situations it may be preferable to use utensils such as tongs or spoons.

Gloves must be removed, discarded and replaced with a new pair in the below circumstances:

• before handling food
• before handling ready-to-eat food and after handling raw food
• after using the toilet, smoking, coughing, sneezing, using a handkerchief, eating, drinking or touching the hair, scalp or body.

Employer responsibilities

A food business must:

• ensure food handlers do not handle food if there is a possibility of contamination
• maintain easily accessible handwashing facilities and supplies of hot running water, soap and single-use paper towels
• ensure all food handlers have appropriate skills and knowledge in food safety and food hygiene. This can be done either on-the-job or via formal training.

Food Safety Supervisor

Under the Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2) all food handlers must have general skills and knowledge in food safety and hygiene. In April 2010, a law came into effect that required certain businesses in the hospitality and retail food service sector to appoint at least one trained Food Safety Supervisor (FSS).

Training is tied to nationally recognised units of competency that exist within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) System.

To review the Food Authority’s Food Safety Supervisor initiative, including training requirements, visit www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/retail/fss-food-safety-supervisors

More information visit the website at www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

Phone the helpline on 1300 552 406

PROTECTION OF FOOD

• Disposable eating and drinking utensils only shall be used.
• Food shall not be displayed so as to be openly accessible to the public.
• Food given away for promotional purposes shall be offered in such a manner as to avoid being handled by the public ie offered individually or portion controlled and with toothpicks inserted.
• Multi-dipping of sauces etc is not allowed due to the possibility of cross contamination.
• Display food must be labeled 'DISPLAY ONLY'.
• All containers such as sauce, mustard etc shall be contained in squeeze type dispensers or in individual sealed packs.
• All disposable eating utensils shall be pre-wrapped in paper napkins, cellophane bags or similar material prior to distribution to the public.
• Drinking straws, paper cups, spoons etc shall be enclosed in suitable dispensers or otherwise protected from contamination.

FOOD STORAGE

All food stored inside the stand shall be stored off the floor and covered or in closed containers.

A food business must, when storing food, store the food in such a way that:

• it is protected from the likelihood of contamination; and
• the environmental conditions under which it is stored will not adversely affect the safety and suitability of the food.

A food business must, when storing potentially hazardous food:

• store it under temperature control; and
• if it is food that is intended to be stored frozen, ensure the food remains frozen during storage.

COOKING

• All heating and cooking equipment shall be located within the stand, suitably protected from contamination and be out of reach of the public.
• A fire extinguisher/fire blanket of adequate size must be displayed on the stand where open flame cooking is carried out.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL means maintaining food at a temperature of:

• 5ºC, or below if this is necessary to minimise the growth of infectious or toxigenic micro-organisms in the food so that the microbiological safety of the food will not be adversely affected for the time the food is at that temperature; or
• 60ºC or above; or
• another temperature — if the food business demonstrates that maintenance of the food at this temperature for the period of time for which it will be so maintained, will not adversely affect the microbiological safety of the food.

 General Information

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Guidelines - Applicable at all FIA Events

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