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This handbook is the copyright of Isaac Regional Council. Other than for bona fide study purposes reproduction of the whole or any part of it is not permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 without the written permission of the Chief Executive Officer Isaac Regional Council. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to:

The Chief Executive Officer Isaac Regional Council P. O. Box 97 Moranbah QLD 4744

Isaac Regional Council P. O. Box 97 Moranbah QLD 4744 Ph: 1300 ISAACS (472 227) records@isaac.qld.gov.au www.isaac.qld.gov.au

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Table of Contents

Food Poisoning 4

Food Act 2006 and Food Regulations 2006 4

Food Safety Standards 4

Non Profit Organisations 5

Food Handlers and Personal Hygiene 5

Hand Washing 6

Cross Contamination 8

Danger Foods 9

Temperature Control 10

Receiving Goods 11

Storage 12

Thawing 12

Preparing Food 13

Cooking Food 13

Cooling Food 13

Reheating Food 14

Cold and Hot Holding 14

Serving and Display 15

Food Packing 15

Cleaning and Sanitising 15

Waste 17

Other Considerations 18

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Isaac Regional Council is committed to providing safe and healthy food to the Isaac Community. This information was prepared in order to educate the community on safe food practices.

Food Poisoning There are 5.4 million cases of food borne illness in Australia every year. This year each Australian stands a 22% chance of getting food poisoning. The chances of finding a foreign object in our food are even greater.

Food Poisoning Symptoms • Diarrhoea

• Vomiting

• Nausea

• Fever

• Abdominal pain

• Headache

• Dizziness

• Death

Food Act 2006 and Food Regulations 2006 These are the main legislative tools for regulating food businesses and they state:

• All food sold is to be safe and suitable for human consumption

• All businesses selling food are to be licensed under the Act (unless exempt i.e. non profit organisations who must notify of events).

Food Safety Standards These are the operational and structural standards of food business operations, health and hygiene requirements for food handlers.

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Non Profit Organisations Non-profit organisations are now EXEMPT from licensing (if they sell meals for less than 12 days per year) but MUST COMPLY with the rest of the Food Act 2006 and must notify Council of the events 2 weeks prior to the event.

Non-profit organisations will only require a licence if they sell meals on a least 12 days each financial year. A meal is defined as being of adequate substance to be ordinarily accepted as a meal and intended to be eaten with cutlery at a table.

Food Handlers and Personal Hygiene It is very important for workers in the food industry to keep clean. This is because bacteria (germs/bugs) live and grow on our skin, hair, under nails, in our mouth and all over us.

If we are clean we will have fewer bacteria on our bodies. This means fewer hygiene risks at the workplace.

Who is a Food Handler? Any person who directly engages in the handling of food, or who handles surfaces likely to come into contact with food, i.e. food business or facility serving food.

Personal Hygiene • Clothing must be laundered regularly and be clean when worn in the kitchen

(including hats and aprons)

• Uniforms must not be worn as street clothes

• Hands must be kept clean

• Hair should be tied back or covered

• Nails should be kept trimmed, without polish

• Jewellery should be removed

• Smoking is prohibited on the food premises.

Cuts and Lesions Food handlers with open cuts or wounds on their hands or arms must not handle food or food equipment unless the injury is completely protected by a water proof bandage.

Disposable gloves must be worn over bandages on hands and changed regularly. Use brightly coloured band aids.

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Food Handler Illness Do not work with food if you know you have a food borne illness, or have symptoms of a food borne illness.

If symptoms begin while at work you must report to your supervisor, cease handling food, discard food handled and sanitise contact surface.

Return to work only with a doctor certificate to ensure you are no longer infectious (tell your doctor you work with food!)

Other common illnesses or conditions may also be a hygiene hazard and must be reported by food handlers, i.e. cold and flu; cold sores. You can work only if conditions and symptoms are kept under control.

Hand Washing A food premise must have hand washing facilities which are located where food handlers can easily access them:

1. Within areas where food handlers work

2. Immediately adjacent to toilets.

Hand washing facilities must be: 1. Established at each temporary stall

2. Supplied with running hot/warm potable water

3. Of a size that allows easy and effective washing

4. Clearly designated for the sole purpose of washing hands, arms and face.

Hand washing is a basic and essential requirement for good food hygiene. If you forget to wash hands at crucial times, or wash them in incorrectly, food will become contaminated with bacteria, which may lead to an incident of food poisoning.

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How to wash your hands

Clean hands equals clean food

When to Wash Your Hands • After using the toilet • After handling raw food

• After smoking • After blowing your nose

• After any other activity likely to contaminate hands.

• Before commencing work or resuming work

• After handling the rubbish bin

If using disposable gloves…. don’t forget…. they can also become contaminated. Therefore, change your gloves whenever you would wash your hands.

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Cross Contamination What would you do? Cross contamination is the transfer of micro-organisms (bacteria) for raw or contaminated food, equipment or people to cooked or prepared food.

How Bacteria gets into food... • Raw food to cooked foods

• Via the food handler

• Clothes, equipment and utensils

• Food contact surface

Conditions for Bacterial Growth • Food: High protein = high risk

• Moisture: bacteria need water

• Temperature: warm temperature = the danger zone

• Time: more time in the danger zone = higher risk.

Preventing Contamination • Effective stock control and storage – First In First Out (FIFO)

• Protect food from the customer

• Limit direct handling

• Keep utensils and equipment clean

• Handle and dispose of garbage correctly

• Keep raw and cooked food separate

• Practice good personal hygiene

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Danger Foods • Raw foods, especially high risk food will have bacteria present in their natural state.

• Cooking destroys most harmful bacteria.

• Cooked foods can be decontaminated by allowing the transfer of bacteria from raw to cooked food.

High Risk Foods • Meat and meat products

• Poultry

• Seafood

• Eggs

• Dairy products

• Soft cheeses

• Processed meats

• Ready to eat foods

• Rice

Which ones are Danger Foods?

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Temperature Control The Danger Zone

The temperature danger zone for food is between 5ºC and 60ºC.

Bacteria especially love temperatures between 20ºC and 45º

Prevent Bacteria Multiplying

• Keep cold food cold (below 5ºC)

• Keep hot food hot (above 60ºC)

• Cook food thoroughly

• Cool food rapidly

• Thaw food correctly

• Do not prepare food too far in advance

• Store dry goods dry

Monitoring Sheet/Logs To keep a check on food to ensure it is not kept within the danger zone monitoring sheet/logs are very helpful.

Using a Thermometer Probe thermometer:

1. Wash thermometer/probe in clean, soapy water. (Important: you must clean grease/food off thermometer before sanitising, otherwise sanitiser is not effective).

2. Sanitise with a sanitiser wipe or boiling water.

3. Insert the thermometer/probe into the thickest part of the product or between products.

4. Allow time for reading to stabilise.

Laser thermometer: 1. Point laser at food. Maximum distance from food is 25-30 cm.

2. Position red laser on food.

3. Allow time for reading to stabilise.

Probe thermometer – Internal temperature of food Laser thermometer – Surface temperature of food

Hazards exist at each food processing step...

Receiving Goods • Check temperature of high risk foods (refer to page 8).

• Hot foods should be above 60ºC.

• Cold foods should be below 5ºC.

• Frozen goods are frozen hard throughout.

• Check for damage to packaging, that there are no obvious sign of contamination (insects, dirt) and that the food is within the use by/best before date.

• Refuse goods that do not meet food safety requirements. Document your actions.

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Storage Food and cooking utensils must be protected from contamination. Bacteria, chemicals and foreign objects (such as hair dust and insects) may easily contaminate food.

• All food is to be stored 750mm above the ground (Temporary Stalls).

• In mobile food vans, all food must be stored at 150mm above the floor surface.

• In fixed businesses all food must be stored at 150mm above the floor surface.

• All food is to be kept in enclosed containers or kept covered using:

• Glad wrap

• Alfoil

• A suitable container with a tight fitting lid

• All condiments, such as sauces, mustards etc, should be contained in squeeze type dispensers or in individual sealed packs

Do not use tea towels or wiping cloths to cover food as clothes may be contaminated.

Protect don’t neglect…Cover all food!

Thawing Defrost in the fridge, never in the sink or on the bench. The outside of the food will defrost quickly resulting in spoilage, allowing bacteria to thrive and increase in number.

Microwave Thawing • A microwave may be used for quick thawing.

• Food thawed in a microwave should then be cooked immediately as the temperature of the food may have exceeded 5ºC.

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Preparing Food • Be organised

• Maintain excellent personal hygiene

• Clean and sanitise food preparation surface, utensils and equipment before use

• Limit the time food is out of temperature control

• Keep raw and ready to eat food separate

• Use separate cutting boards and utensils

Cooking Food • Adequate cooking can kill most food poisoning bacteria. Food should be cooked

without interruption to the cooking process, unless specifically required in a recipe to 75ºC Exceptions: Solid pieces of red meat.

• Chicken and pork cuts must be thoroughly cooked so that the centre is no longer pink. This is because:

• Salmonella and other bacteria are naturally present in raw chicken and will only be destroyed by thorough cooking.

• The larval stage of certain parasites (e.g. pork tapeworms) if present, will only be destroyed by thorough cooking.

Cooling Food Food must be cooled:

• Within 2 hours – from 60ºC to 21ºC; and

• Within a further 4 hours - from 21ºC to 5ºC

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Useful tips to achieve this • Divide food into smaller, shallow batches to help cool quicker (less than 10 cm deep).

• If food is solid (e.g. roast), cut into smaller pieces to cool faster.

• Metal containers are best as they transfer heat away from food, while plastic containers insulate.

• Cool food in the fridge/coolroom as soon as you can! Not on the bench.

Reheating Food • Food must be reheated to at least 72-75ºC

quickly in oven/microwave/stove top

• Stir food to speed/even the heating process

• Check temperatures of reheated food with a digital food probe thermometer

• NEVER refreeze!!!

Cold and Hot Holding Cold Holding

• Ensure the temperature of the cold holding unit is below 5ºC.

• Store raw food below and away from prepared/ready to eat food.

• Label food you’ve prepared with the date.

• Use up old stock first – stock rotation.

Hot Holding • Clean and preheat bain marie before use.

• Cook food before putting in bain marie.

• Keep food in bain marie above 60ºC.

• Do not overload bain marie.

• Stir rice and wet dishes regularly.

• Never top up food in bain marie. ALWAYS replace the whole tray.

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Serving and Display • Serve food as quickly as possible.

• Customers must not be allowed to touch unwrapped food.

• For self-service – have utensils for each food and closely monitor usage. If customers handle food inappropriately, immediately remove it and dispose of any contaminated foods.

Food Packaging You must use packing that is:

• Non toxic

• Durable and clean

• Appropriate for food

• Unable to contaminate the food

Cleaning and Sanitising • Ensure chemicals are safe for using near food i.e. ensure sanitisers are food grade

and odourless

• Chemicals must be stored away from food and food contact surface, preferably in a locked cupboard/area

• Do not use chemical containers for food

• Do not use food containers for chemicals

• Before cleaning, make sure you:

• Understand correct cleaning and sanitising procedures – all food contact surface must be sanitised by law, e.g. cups, plates, chopping board, benches, etc.

• Read and understand Material Safety Data Sheets.

• Follow OHS procedures to keep safe, and attend any chemical safety training provided.

• Ensure you are using the correct chemical.

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Cleaning Steps: 1. Pre-clean – removal of food residues

2. Main clean – removal of dirt and grease using detergent

3. Sanitise – reduce the number of bacteria

4. Dry – allow to air dry or use disposable paper towels

Detergents • Remove grease and dirt, but do NOT kill

bacteria

• Should be used with hot water

Should be used in main wash for all equipment, utensils, crockery, cutlery and every area of the food premises.

Sanitisers • Reduce the number of bacteria but do not kill all bacteria

• Are not effective on a dirty surface – cleaning must be done first

• Hot water is a good sanitiser

• There are many different chemical sanitisers i.e. chlorine based.

Cleaning Schedules • Item/area to be cleaned

• Who is responsible to clean it

• When the cleaning should be done

• How it should be done

• The safety precautions to be taken, both for food safety and personal safety

Cleaning equipment used in the food service/preparation area are NOT be used in the toilets or other areas.

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Waste • A food business must provide sufficient waste storage containers to store all waste

pro- duced by the business.

• This includes:

• Food waste (putrescible waste)

• General waste

• Recyclable material (cardboard boxes)

• By-products waste (grease and oils).

• Bins must be:

• Of sufficient size and quantity

• Located in food preparation area for immediate disposal and also bulk storage outside the food premises in a waste storage area

Serviced and cleaned on a regular basis.

What is wrong with this picture?

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Other Considerations Equipment Maintenance and Calibration Thermometers need to be calibrated regularly. There is no use checking temperatures with a faulty thermometer!

Fridges, cool rooms, ovens and appliances need to be maintained and kept clean

Food Recall In the event of something going wrong with food preparation or upon notification that food may be unsafe, a food recall process must be initiated. The nominated food safety supervisor should be familiar with this procedure so that it can be initiated efficiently if/when it is required.

Customer Complaints These are your guide and can be a valuable resource to ensuring food is safe and suitable. Document all complaints so food handlers can learn good food handling practices.

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Notes:

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Notes: