Food safety

Council's Environmental Health Officers routinely inspect premises to ensure food is safely prepared, stored and handled. Food premises are required to comply with the Food Act 2003 and the Food Safety Standards

Temperature control

This is one of the most important aspects of food safety - keeping hot food hot and cold food cold. Correct temperature control minimises bacteria growth and the risk of food poisoning.

Potentially hazardous food must be stored at or below 5 degrees Celsius or at or above 60 degrees Celsius. Frozen food must be stored at or below minus 18 degrees Celsius.

Food Temperature Logs
Food Temperature Logs help you monitor that the food is delivered and stored within the correct temperature range and that equipment is operating satisfactorily. A Corrective Actions Record is used by businesses to document when temperature control issues have been identified and how they were managed.

Various Food Temperature Log templates are available to download from the Helpful Documents sidebar to the left at the bottom of this page.

Cleaning and sanitising

There is a difference between cleaning and sanitising.

Cleaning
Cleaning means "clean to touch" and includes removal of accumulated dirt, dust, food particles, grease or other visible matter such as mould or spider webs. Cleaning usually involves the use of water and detergent.

Sanitise
Sanitise refers to reducing the numbers of bacteria. Sanitising is usually achieved by the use of both heat and water, or by sanitising chemicals.

Develop a cleaning schedule
Do an inventory of the premises and make a list of all the items that need cleaning. Include walls, floors, ceilings, bench tops, shelving, equipment, fixtures and fittings. Remember to include less visible areas such as behind and under equipment. Make a note of how each area is to be cleaned and how often. Determine who is responsible for the cleaning and what chemicals/detergents need to be used.

A Cleaning Schedule template and information on cleaning frequencies and procedures are available to download from the Helpful Documents sidebar to the right on this page.