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Receiving food

Receiving food If you're a food business, it's important to only accept delivery of food you are sure is safe and suitable. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses must do everything they can to make sure they only receive food that is safe and suitable. This generally means the food is delivered:

• from a known supplier
• protected from contamination, and
• at a safe temperature.

• make sure you can identify all food that is delivered and you know the supplier's name and address
• ask your suppliers to protect food from contamination (e.g. in food-safe packaging)
• make sure someone…

  Published December 2023

Skills and knowledge for food handlers

Skills and knowledge for food handlers It's important your food handlers and their supervisors have the skills and knowledge to handle food properly so that it's safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, you must make sure the people who handle food, and their supervisors, have the skills and knowledge to keep food safe and suitable to eat. From December 2023 additional requirements may apply to businesses that handle potentially hazardous food - see our information on Standard 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools.

Published December 2023

Storing food safely

Storing food safely If you're a food business, you need to keep food protected from contamination and at the right temperature so it stays safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses need to store food in a way that keeps it safe and suitable. Reduce your risk

• keep storage areas clean, dry and free of pests
• use food-safe containers, covers and packaging to protect food
• store potentially hazardous food at 5°C or colder - check it with a thermometer
• store raw food like meat and seafood separately or below ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination from meat juices etc.
• make sure frozen food stays…

  Published December 2023

Temporary food premises

Temporary food premises If your business sells food at temporary events like markets, you need to meet the same food safety requirements as other food businesses, regardless of the size of your business or how often you sell food.  What are temporary food premises? Temporary food premises are structures that are:

• used to sell food at occasional events like a fete, market or show
• dismantled after the event, like a stall, tent or barbeque stand.

• Food businesses using temporary premises must comply with the Food Standards Code, including:
• …

  Published December 2023

Thermometers

Thermometers If you're a food business that handles potentially hazardous food, it's important to use a thermometer to check your food is at the right temperature to be sure it is safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses that handle potentially hazardous food need to have an accurate and accessible thermometer. This means:

• there is at least one thermometer somewhere easy to get to (e.g. in an unlocked drawer in the kitchen)
• the thermometer is accurate to within 1°C.

• A digital probe thermometer is usually best for measuring food temperatures. They are inexpensive and are available…

  Published December 2023

Transporting food safely

Transporting food safely If you're a food business that transports food, you need to keep food protected from contamination and at the right temperature so it stays safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses must transport food in a way that keeps it safe and suitable.

• Safe transport means protecting the food from contamination and, if it is potentially hazardous food, keeping it at a safe temperature.
• This includes transport within a premises as well as to other places.

• use vehicles, carts and trolleys that are clean and designed for use with food
• check food is securely packaged or…

  Published December 2023

Annual BSE update

Annual BSE update Download File Template - information required for annual update (Mar 2020) (Word 47KB) The OIE's template of Information Required for Annual Update (2019 version) has been adopted to facilitate the provision of information for the annual…

Published December 2023

Frequently asked questions (BSE)

Frequently asked questions (BSE) Does every country need to be assessed? Yes. Every country interested in exporting beef or beef products to Australia needs to be assessed. Beef and beef products from countries that have not been assigned a favorable BSE risk status by FSANZ are considered to pose an undetermined level of risk and will be refused entry to Australia. The exception to this is when countries export only beef that is sourced from a third country and the third country is eligible to export beef or beef products to Australia, for example, New Zealand. How long will an assessment take? The length of time depends on the quality and completeness of information supplied by the applicant country, and whether an in-country inspection is required. It is anticipated that FSANZ will take an average…

Published December 2023

Exporting beef or beef products to Australia

Exporting beef or beef products to Australia Australia has a country categorisation and import certification system in place to ensure that beef and beef products imported into Australia come from animals free from BSE. Under this system, FSANZ conducts food safety assessments to determine the BSE risk status of an applicant country and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry implements import certification requirements at the border. The department also undertakes an import risk analysis (IRA) of countries wanting to export fresh (chilled or frozen) beef to Australia. The IRA assesses animal health systems of the exporting country and biosecurity risks associated with importing fresh beef from the country.

• …

  Published December 2023

Requirements for the importation of beef and beef products for human consumption

Requirements for the importation of beef and beef products for human consumption Download File Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE): Requirements for the Importation of Beef and Beef Products for Human Consumption (PDF 117 kb) Purpose To describe the requirements to safeguard the Australian…

Published December 2023