Demonstration of Knowledge

An establishment's food safety manager must demonstrate their knowledge and competence to food safety inspectors by...

Responding correctly to the food inspector's inquiries related to safe food establishment operations;

having no violations with Food Code compliance for the current inspection; and

providing proof of certification as a food protection manager.

Employee Health Controls

Food employees are required to disclose the following information to their food safety manager, so that the latter can make the necessary adjustments to minimize the risk of food contamination...

If they currently have a health condition officially diagnosed by a doctor, which may result in the contamination of food with harmful pathogens.

If they have been diagnosed with Typhoid fever within the past 3 months and have not received antibiotic therapy as determined by a doctor.

If they have symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, or if they have a lesion containing pus, unless it is covered by a dry, durable, tight-fitting bandage.

If they have been exposed to, or exposed to a suspected source of a confirmed disease outbreak involving Norovirus, E. Coli, Typhoid fever, or Hepatitis A.

Honest communication between the staff and the food safety manager is essential in complying with the FDA's food safety standards.

Controlling Hands as a Vehicle of Contamination

Your hands are one of the most effective vehicles for food contamination. For this reason, the Food Code requires the following safety measures to be taken...

Food employees are required to wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before handling or preparing dishes.

With the exception of washing fruits and vegetables, food employees should not make bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. Utensils such as tongs, single-use gloves, deli tissue, spatulas, and other dispensing equipment should be used instead.

Food employees are only allowed bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food if they are not serving a highly susceptible population e.g. pregnant customers, young children, adults over 60 years old, and if the establishment has obtained prior approval from a regulatory authority.

There must also be written documentation that show food employees acknowledge they have received training in good hand hygiene practices.

Time and Temperature Parameters for Controlling Pathogens

Harmful pathogens commonly found in food struggle to survive in very high or very low temperatures.

This is why the FDA Food Code includes recommended time and temperature parameters for cooking, storing, and holding food to discourage bacterial growth.

Consumer Advisory

If a customer orders an animal food that is meant to be served raw, undercooked, and/or unprocessed to get rid of possible harmful pathogens, staff must make sure to inform the customer of the added risk of foodborne illness and get their approval before serving the dish.

Managing Food Safety Employing a HACCP System

Analyzing your food preparation process, and identifying scenarios where food safety may be compromised.

Identifying critical control points, sections in the food preparation process where control measures can be placed or improved to maintain food safety.

Implementing standardized response actions to protect food against common and foreseeable safety issues.

Ensuring that your set procedures are effective and consistently implemented.

Keeping records as proof that your set procedures are effective.

Food Hygiene for your Business FSA Requirements and Recommendations

Food hygiene is the cornerstone of any food establishment.

While taste and quality may improve over time, food hygiene must be impeccable from the very beginning.

Chilling Food Refrigerating to slow bacterial growth

The FSA's minimum fridge temperature requirement is 8°C (46.4°F), but they recommend setting the temperature to 5°C (41°F) for added security.

Leaving food in room temperature for too long can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria.

This is why foods with a use-by date, cooked dishes, and ready-to-eat foods must not be left standing in room temperature for more than 4 hours.

Safe Food Australia: HACCP Food Safety Program Requirements

HACCP Requirement #1 Identify and monitor foreseeable food safety hazards in all food handling operations of the business.

Menu, staff size, and venue layout are variables that need to be considered when identifying and monitoring potential food safety hazards.

Being aware of how these factors interact will help you identify and monitor potential hazards in your food handling process.

HACCP Requirement #2 Identify critical control points; these are parts of the process where control measures can be placed to prevent food safety hazards.

Cooling cooked foods from 60°C (140°F) to 21°C (69.8°F) within 2 hours so it can be refrigerated.

Never using the same set of plates and utensils for raw and cooked foods.

Washing your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before preparing any dish.

HACCP Requirement #3 Provide standardized corrective actions when set control measures fail to prevent food safety hazards.

Coming up with standard responses to common food safety hazards gives you consistent results, and helps improve accountability within your staff.

Ensuring that staff members are adequately trained to execute the standard responses also means they can act faster to prevent a potential food safety incident.

Most importantly, documenting your corrective responses is one of Safe Food Australia's requirements.

HACCP Requirement #4 Provide a regular review schedule to ensure that the food safety program meets the needs of the food establishment.

HACCP Requirement #5 Provide written documentation to prove that the food establishment's HACCP-based food safety program is effective and consistently implemented.

Since third-party auditors aren't always present during operations, establishments must document the day-to-day implementation of their food safety program as proof.

A simple log-sheet, whether physical or digital, can serve as a record of compliance with the food establishments documented food safety program.