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GUIDELINES
Preparing for food safety management
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Use of this material These guidelines and the associated templates are provided by Food South Australia Inc. for use by members on the understanding that any part or the whole of these guidelines will not be shared beyond the member business’ employees.
Acknowledgements Food South Australia has drawn on a number of resources to prepare this introductory guide. We encourage you to follow the links and stay up to date with information and advice provided by key agencies including Food Standards Australia New Zealand (https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/) as information and regulatory requirements may change over time. Food South Australia also acknowledges the New South Wales Food Authority (https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/) for information on temperatures for hazardous foods, upon which some content and graphics in this guide are based.
Disclaimer While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in these guidelines, Food South Australia makes no warranties in relation to the information contained herein. No person should act on the basis of the contents of this publication, whether as to matters of fact or opinion or other content, without first obtaining specific independent professional advice in respect of the matters set out in the publication. Food South Australia disclaims any liability for any loss or damage that may arise as a consequence of any person relying on the information contained in this document.
© Food South Australia Inc. 2020 Food South Australia Plant Research Centre, Waite Campus, 2B Hartley Grove URRBRAE SA 5064 www.foodsouthaustralia.com.au
Contents POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS ............................................................................................................. 5 Which foods are considered potentially hazardous? ..................................................................................... 5 What is a ‘safe’ temperature? ........................................................................................................................ 5 How to cool cooked food safely ..................................................................................................................... 5 The 2 hour / 4 hour guide ............................................................................................................................... 5 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THERMOMETERS ............................................................................. 6 How important is your thermometer? ............................................................................................................. 6 How to accurately check food temperatures .................................................................................................. 6 How to calibrate and check the accuracy of your thermometer ..................................................................... 6 DOCUMENTATION FOR FOOD SAFETY ........................................................................................................ 7 What you need to document and why............................................................................................................ 7 Naming your documents ................................................................................................................................ 7 Document control ........................................................................................................................................... 8 DOCUMENTING YOUR PRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 9 Production model documentation .................................................................................................................. 9 Batch identification ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Food labelling ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans ........................................................................ 11 Non-Conformance Reporting ....................................................................................................................... 12 INBOUND AND OUTBOUND GOODS PROCEDURES ................................................................................. 13 MAINTENANCE ............................................................................................................................................... 14 CLEANING SCHEDULES AND VERIFICATION ............................................................................................ 14 RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................... 15 PEST MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 16 CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ............................................................................................................................ 17 Why is it essential to document complaints? ............................................................................................... 17 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 18
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FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES These guidelines and templates have been developed by Food South Australia to support new food and beverage manufacturers, value-adding producers and processors with an overview of food safety regulatory requirements and best practice guidelines. These guidelines describe the requirements for handling potentially hazardous food, accurate use of thermometers and documenting of processes, and should be used in conjunction with the provided templates for:
Batch Identification (also known as lot identification) Cleaning schedule and verification HACCP plan Inbound outbound procedures Maintenance schedule and verification Non-conformance reports Pest management plan Preventative maintenance program Production models Receival form Risk assessment and management
We have also included a general document template that you can adapt for other procedures and documentation as needed.
Need more help? Contact Food South Australia at contact@foodsa.com.au or phone 8303 9435 for support and referrals to expert service providers.
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POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS Which foods are considered potentially hazardous?
Raw meats, cooked meats and food containing meat, such as casseroles, curries, lasagne, meat pies Dairy products and food containing dairy products, such as milk, cream, custard Seafood (excluding live seafood) and foods containing seafood, such as seafood salad, oysters Processed fruits and vegetables, such as prepared salads and ready to eat fruit packs Cooked rice and pasta Processed food containing eggs, beans, nuts or other protein rich food, such as quiche and soya bean products Foods that contain any of the above products, such as sandwiches, pasta mixes and salads
What is a ‘safe’ temperature? The safe temperatures for foods are 5°C or colder, or 60°C or hotter. Potentially hazardous food needs to be kept at these temperatures to prevent food poisoning bacteria, which grow at temperatures from 5°C to 60°C, from multiplying to dangerous levels. This temperature range is known as the ‘temperature danger zone’.
How to cool cooked food safely Potentially hazardous foods must be cooled by reducing their temperature from 60°C to 21°C in less than two hours, and then further reduced to 5°C or colder in the next four hours. The use of shallow containers will help you achieve this, as it takes longer to cool food stored in deeper or larger containers.
The 2 hour / 4 hour guide Ready to eat potentially hazardous food can be safely consumed at temperatures of between 5°C and 60°C, provided it is between these temperatures for less than four hours. This is because it takes more than four hours for food poisoning bacteria to grow to dangerous levels.
For the latest detailed information on food safety standards, visit the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) website at https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Pages/safefoodaustralia3rd16.aspx
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THERMOMETERS How important is your thermometer? A thermometer is an essential tool to ensure that food is kept at safe temperatures. Food and beverage businesses producing products that qualify as potentially hazardous foods, or using ingredients that are qualified as potentially hazardous, must have an accurate thermometer. Your thermometer must be accurate to ±1°C. This means that when the thermometer shows a temperature of 5°C, the actual temperature can vary no more than one degree above or below the shown temperature (ie temperature can range between 4°C and 6°C).
How to accurately check food temperatures To accurately check temperatures, you need to aim to check the core temperature of the food. It is important to remember that temperature readings are not instant. You will need to wait until the temperature on the thermometer has stabilised for an accurate reading. If the product is packaged or frozen, place the length of the thermometer probe between two packages to get a proper core temperature reading. If testing temperatures in a cool room, first check which is the warmest area in the cool room and then test temperatures there. If testing temperatures in a hot food display unit, locate the coldest area of the unit and test the temperature there.
How to calibrate and check the accuracy of your thermometer To ensure your thermometer is accurate, FSANZ recommends checking its freezing and boiling point temperature readings. FSANZ recommend you use distilled water for these processes, including in the ice you use to check the freezing point. This is because distilled water contains no dissolved solutes and therefore provides a more accurate result. If these tests do not provide the expected results or do not provide consistent results, check with your thermometer supplier. Further information is available at: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/safety/faqsafety/pages/foodsafetyfactsheets/charitiesandcomm unityorganisationsfactsheets/temperaturecontrolma1477.aspx
Checking the freezing point First, create an ice slurry by placing some ice (made with distilled water) into a container with a small amount of cold distilled water. Insert your thermometer probe in the ice slurry and wait until it stabilises. Check the thermometer. A correctly calibrated thermometer should read 0°C (±1°C).
Checking the boiling point
To check the boiling point temperature, boil some distilled water. When the water is at a rolling boil (ie bubbling), insert the thermometer probe and wait until it stabilises. The thermometer reading should be 100°C (±1°C).
Use our Thermometer Calibration Template to get started.
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DOCUMENTATION FOR FOOD SAFETY What you need to document and why Your food safety documentation is an important aid to your business, providing you with detailed records to support investigation of any food safety issues. It is recommended that you document:
Standard operating procedures Food production and batch information Procedures for managing inbound and outbound goods Systems and procedures for maintenance, pest management, risk assessment and food hazard management
Naming your documents A document naming protocol helps you maintain order in your record system and, more importantly, easily and quickly locate information if you have a food safety issue. An easy to follow naming protocol includes elements to identify your business, the type of document it is, the version of the document and the name of the document. For example:
Document types you may wish to use include:
HACCP- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) related documents PP- Pre-requisite Programs, such as Allergen Control Program, Pest Control Program SOP - Standard Operating Procedure - detailed instructions outlining important procedures in your business (e.g. for cleaning and sanitation) including who is responsible, when, where and why procedures are undertaken (these documents become reference and training tools for your staff) WI - Work Instruction- these documents usually relate to the method for undertaken to complete a specific task or using a particular piece of equipment (e.g. a chemical dosing pump) Attachment – these documents usually include important and specific information for display in the production area – e.g. machine settings, fondant temperatures, or product dimensions required to avoid irregular size of product Form – these are documents which need to be completed by staff before, during or after production, such as receival forms or start/end of the day checklists
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PM - Production Model – these documents are essentially your recipes and include ingredient details quantities and production method for each product you make BID - Batch Identification - this form includes all the batch numbers for each ingredient used in each individual batch of product to enable product traceability
Document control Allocating version numbers means you can easily verify that the current and correct version of any individual procedure is being used. It is wise to create a spreadsheet to keep track of your document versions and dates as an easy reference and also to ensure you check and update documents regularly or as required. The spreadsheet should contain the document number, document title, version number and date of the document to provide file traceability. For example:
Obsolete documents Never delete old versions of documents no longer in use because you may need to refer back to them at a later stage when following up on a food safety issue to check if a procedure change has caused an issue. Create a folder for your current procedures and documents and another folder for obsolete or archived documents. Move old versions of documents to the archive folder when a new version is created.
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DOCUMENTING YOUR PRODUCTION Production model documentation A production model is a set of written instructions which are followed each time the product is made to ensure consistency of your product(s) no matter who follows the directions. Using a production model also helps you to easily calculate the nutritional information of your final product. Production models are important to help you maintain product quality, improve consistency and to assist in forecasting and managing ingredient requirements and overall product cost by helping you manage ordering and inventory. Use our Production Model Template to get started.
Batch identification FSANZ defines traceability’ as “the ability to track products in all stages of production, processing and distribution”. Traceability means the movement of a product can be traced one step backward and one step forward at any point in the supply chain and enables corrective action to be implemented effectively and quickly when something goes wrong. To support this requirement, you need Batch ID forms to help you locate a specific individual product before it reaches consumers so that you are able to minimise any public health risks and any disruption to your business. The Batch ID form names the product and lists all ingredients used to produce it and includes any critical control point details (time, temperature, pressure, etc) which need to be recorded to ensure product safety. Your Batch ID form should provide the following information:
Name of ingredient
Dosage (quantity of the ingredient)
Best Before Date/Manufacturing Date
Checklist to verify the ingredient has been added to the mix
Corrective action(s) taken when something goes wrong
Use our Batch Identification Template to get started.
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Food labelling The Food Standards User Guide (Standard 1.2.1) instructs that the following information must be included on food labels: 1. Product name Page | 10 2. Name or description of the food 3. Batch identification (also known as lot identification) 4. Name and business address of supplier 5. Mandatory warning and advisory statements and declarations - there are regulatory guidelines you must follow for these statements - for more information go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/userguide/Documents/Guide%20to%201.2.3%20%20Warning%20and%20Advisory%20Statements.pdf 6. Ingredient list, including characteristic ingredient when present - for more information go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/ingredients/Pages/default.aspx 7. Date marking of the product – either Best Before Date (BBD) or Use By Date (UBD) (for more information go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/Documents/1.2.5%20Date%20marking%20v157.pdf 8. Directions for use and storage of the food 9. Nutrition, health and related claims - there are regulatory guidelines with which you must comply when making these statements - for more information, go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/nutrition/Pages/default.aspx 10. Nutrition Information Panel - for more information go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/npc/Documents/Explanatory%20notes%20for%20the%2 0NPC%2011082011.pdf 11. Country of Origin information - for more information go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/coo/Pages/default.aspx and https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/groceries/country-of-origin 12. Prescribed name – for some products additional information us required under the FSANZ food identification requirements (Standard 1.2.2). Examples include fermented meats, honey, infant and follow-on formula, formulated meal replacements, formulated supplementary food, formulated supplementary food for young children, and formulated supplementary sports foods. For more information on the relevant sections of the standards for your products, go to https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/userguide/Documents/Guide%20to%20Standard%201.2.1% 20-%20Labelling%20and%20Other%20Information%20Requirements.pdf
The following illustration shows where all these components may appear on a product label:
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Use our Food Labelling Template to get started. Further information on food labelling can be found at https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/userguide/Documents/Guide%20to%20Standard%201%202%201% 20-%20Labelling%20and%20Other%20Information%20Requirements%20-%20final.pdf
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is an internationally recognised system that identifies, evaluates and controls food safety hazards. Your Food Safety Plan is a combination of the HACCP plan and other prerequisite programs that are put in place in a food facility to control potential hazards in both the product and the environment.
Even if your business is not currently certified for HACCP, setting up a HACCP plan will support you to produce safe foods and also establishes a basis to be able to apply for HACCP accreditation as you grow. Some customers and markets will require this in order to buy your product. Risks identified by a HACCP system include potential physical, chemical, biological, quality and allergen hazards in every processing step of the production process. This system also determines Critical Control Point(s) (CCP) and Quality Control Point(s) (QCP) in the production process. A CCP is a point included in a step or procedure to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level. Failure to meet this critical limit may cause the product to be unsafe. A QCP is a point or stage of manufacturing included to ensure product quality by identifying defects.
Use our HACCP Plan Template to get started.
Non-Conformance Reporting Non-conformance means any deviation from, or way in which your production system or process fails to comply with, accepted standards, criteria or requirements for food safety, quality, process, product, material or supplier. Non-conformance reporting (NCR) can be made through a number of channels, including customer complaints or through conducting of an internal or external audit. They can also be prompted by product recalls or withdrawals, or identified internally through casual observation. Non-conformance documentation is important to ensure compliance requirements are met. Recording nonconformances can also help you analyse and identify opportunities for continuous improvement of your business and operational processes, and meet specific requirements of a standard or a particular customer. For example, various customers (such as the major supermarkets) have their own sets of standards with which their suppliers must comply. Food South Australia can help you with more information regarding compliance systems. Documenting an incidence of non-conformance requires you to describe and fix the issue before ‘closing out’ the report as an indication that the issue is fixed and unlikely to recur. The steps for non-conformance reporting are:
Document the situation: what happened and why it happened (including the date, time, product type, lot number etc) Assign the report to the relevant department/person to investigate Investigate the root cause of the issue* Implement corrective actions Officially verify corrective action has been implemented Document future preventative actions to reduce the likelihood it will happen again (including review of standard procedures if these are involved Complete and close out the non-conformance report
*You may find it useful to apply the ‘Five Whys’ method as a tool to analyse the cause and effect relationship underlying a particular issue. A wide range of articles and videos on applying this method are available on the internet. Use our Non-Conformance Reporting Template to get started.
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INBOUND AND OUTBOUND GOODS PROCEDURES Under the Food Code Standard 3.2.2, food and beverage businesses are expected to take all practicable measures to ensure that they do not receive or transport unsafe or unsuitable food. To be able to demonstrate your compliance with this standard, the procedures you use for inbound and outbound deliveries needs to be set out in your food safety program. This enables you to be confident you are only accepting and/or delivering food and beverage products that are safe. Your procedure should specify that inbound and outbound products are:
Protected from contamination to ensure they are in good physical condition and not showing any signs of deterioration.
Within the use-by/ best before date (date of manufacture for traceability)
Clearly identified and labelled with the name and business address
Received or delivered under correct temperature controls for potentially hazardous food
How and where to record any corrective action taken taken when products received do not meet criteria.
Use our Inbound Outbound Procedure Template to get started.
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MAINTENANCE Implementing a preventative maintenance program will help your business properly maintain equipment to optimise production efficiency, extend equipment shelf life, and to minimise food safety risks and equipment failures. Foodborne disease outbreaks may be directly attributed to failing to properly maintain equipment in sanitary conditions. Your maintenance program should include:
Identification of potential hazards relating to maintenance activities such as foreign matter (metal swarf, cable ties, wires), chemical/non-food grade lubricants
A maintenance schedule providing a full list of all equipment, instructions for carrying out maintenance activities, including when and how often they are to be completed and the name of the person responsible for ensuring maintenance is completed
Procedures for reporting breakdowns and ‘handback’, including for communication between the production staff and the maintenance team or supplier – note that handback procedures are crucial to enable your maintenance team to ensure equipment and safety devices function safely and correctly to the required specifications and do not pose any potential contamination threats
Maintenance program records including completed work ordered, reports from external third parties, post maintenance inspection records and any corrective actions required and taken
Use our Preventative Maintenance Template to get started.
CLEANING SCHEDULES AND VERIFICATION The Food Standards Code states a food business must “maintain their premises and all fixtures, fittings and equipment to a standard of cleanliness where there is no accumulation of garbage, recycled matter, food waste, dirt, grease and other visible matter” (FSANZ 2019). A cleaning schedule and verification procedure is an easy and effective way of ensuring all equipment on the premises is regularly cleaned and, where necessary, sanitised to help minimise the risk of cross contamination and illnesses caused by food poisoning. The cleaning schedule and verification document should provide a checklist of all your equipment and utensils along with brief instructions on how to clean them properly, how often they need to be cleaned and the staff member responsible for the task. Comprehensive cleaning instructions, including chemicals/detergent/sanitiser name and dilution factor for each machine, should also be documented as a standard operating procedure (see page 7) to ensure staff safety and to maintain your equipment in top condition.
Use our Cleaning Schedule and Verification template to get started.
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RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT Food and beverage businesses are usually required to complete risk assessments to comply with third-party certification or regulatory compliance. The World Health Organisation defines risk assessment as being “the scientific evaluation of known or potential adverse health effects resulting from human exposure to foodborne hazards. Risk assessment is a process of identifying a potential hazard and estimating the overall risk based on the likelihood and the severity to ensure food business is producing food product that is safe for consumption” (FSANZ 2013). A wide range of specified requirements may apply to your business in order to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of specific customers or certification systems. Food and beverage businesss are also required to complete risk assessments on any potential hazards that could be a threat to the safety of your raw materials, to work in progress or to finished products in some cases, such as compliance with Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognised standards including Safe Quality Foods (SQF), British Retail Consortium (BRC) or Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000.
The risks commonly assessed include: Food Hazard Assessment/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) This is an analysis of the potential physical, chemical, biological, allergen and quality hazards that might occur during the food manufacturing process so that control measures can be designed and implemented. See page 12 for more information.
Vulnerability Assessment and Critical Control Points (VACCP) The VACCP analysis focuses on vulnerability in the food supply chain that can result in susceptibility of your business and products to food fraud. Identifying these points in the production process enables you to put in place systematic prevention of risks associated with actions such as substitutions, counterfeiting, unapproved product enhancement or theft of goods.
Threat Assessment and Critical Control Points (TACCP) This assessment focuses on tampering and intentional adulteration of food and beverage products. Identifying these risks enables you to develop a plan and implement processes to protect your products from deliberate contamination with the intention of causing harm.
Raw Materials Assessment The raw materials assessment focuses on identifying inherent risks associated with your raw material purchases to ensure product safety and suitability. This includes developing a full list of all your raw materials and packaging, including details of who supplies your suppliers, their product specifications for ingredients and packaging you purchase from them, their approval processes and their risk assessment procedures.
Allergen Risk Assessment This assessment determines the risk of allergens coming into contact with the product and enables you to establish preventative procedures, such as scheduling the manufacture of products with fewer allergen ingredients prior to manufacturing other products which may have more allergen ingredients (e.g. making a batch of biscuits without nuts before making batches of biscuits with nuts). This assessment will also help you identify allergen ingredients that must be stored separately.
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Workplace health and safety Your workplace health and safety risks are assessed by identifying potential hazards that may arise at your workplace. This enables you to put in place control measures to eliminate or minimise risks to your employees’ health and safety. For more information on this, please visit Safe Work Australia’s website at https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/.
Use our Risk Assessment and Management Template to get started.
PEST MANAGEMENT Pests such as insects and rodents are carriers of many disease-causing bacteria and viruses. As well as potentially contaminating your equipment, products or raw ingredients, they can also cause property and equipment damage. It is essential that any food or beverage manufacturing business has a fully documented and implemented pest management plan in place to protect you and your customers from these risks. Under Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code, food and beverage businesses must do everything you reasonably can to prevent pest problems. A good pest management plan covers each type of pest and the treatment used to prevent its access to your premises. Your business premises should be mapped to identify each area and the location of baits or other pest control devices, with a documented schedule for inspections and treatments. To meet the Food Standards Code, you need to record each inspection, maintain a pest sighting log and document any completed treatments.
Use our Pest Management Plan Template to get started.
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CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS Why is it essential to document complaints? Customer complaints and corrective actions documentation is critical for food and beverage businesses and must be incorporated in your food safety program. This documentation helps to highlight issues which arise from either your product, employees (service) or internal/external processes so you can determine whether further investigation is required to resolve the issue and the steps to be taken to improve your business processes. By documenting these corrective actions, you are also putting in place a procedure to follow if the issue arises again. Categorise your complaints based on the relevant issue (product, technical service, customer service, orinternal/ external process (e.g. transport, supplier). This will help you decide on the best person or team to take responsibility to resolve it.
Before you take any action, you will need to identify: Has the issue occurred before? Find out whether the issue or problem has occurred previously by checking your customer complaint documentation to see if similar complaints or issues have been recorded and what corrective actions were taken to resolve them..
How often do you receive the same complaint? Frequency of similar/same complaints received on a specific product/batch will help you determine how serious the problem is and what action you need to take. A single isolated complaint might be due to minor product variations or machine inconsistencies and may not require any further investigations or production changes. In this case you may be able to resolve it through your customer relations policy (e.g. replacement, refund, credit or gift voucher). However, when there is a pattern of numerous similar complaints received for the same product, you need to review your operating procedure to identify and rectify the root causes to prevent the same issues from happening again in the future.
Is a withdrawal or recall required? It is critical to rapidly assess complaints to determine whether they relate to the product being unsafe or unstable and may require a product recall or withdrawal.
Use our Customer Complaints Template to get started.
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