Food Safety Standards - Health And Hygiene Responsibilities Of Food Handlers

[Orencio Suhag]

SafeFood Australia is a guide to the food safety standards in Chapter 3 of the Food Standards Code. Health and hygiene is under Standard 3.2.2 clauses 13-18. Hand basins, toilets and storage are also in Standard 3.2.3 clauses 14-16.

FSANZ acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present.

Food safety regulations protect and improve the health of Idaho citizens and visitors by assuring foods are safe and free of harmful levels of disease and environmental contamination. We accomplish this through education, enforcement of food safety standards and codes, and cooperation with local health departments and food industry.

Our goal is to assure that food from regulated facilities is safe to eat. For questions related to the rules found in the Idaho Food Code, please call 208-334-5938 or email us at foodpro...@dhw.idaho.gov.

In food establishments, at least one employee with supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to direct and control food preparation must be present at all times. This could be a supervisor (local or regional) or a Person in Charge/shift lead that is a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM). Additionally, all food establishment employees have the responsibility for preparing and serving safe food under the supervision of a CFPM.

The second exam is a provision for Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) operators. Individuals that have a limited menu and are seeking approval and licensure with their local health district may take this exam to meet the Certified Food Program Manager requirement for their TFE.

A food handler may do many different things for a food business. Examples include making, cooking, preparing, serving, packing, displaying and storing food. Food handlers can also be involved in manufacturing, producing, collecting, extracting, processing, transporting, delivering, thawing or preserving food.

The Food Act 2006 places obligations on food business licensees and food handlers in relation to the safe handling of food. Chapter 3 of the Food Standards Code sets out health and hygiene requirements for food handlers.

Standard 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools (PDF, 2MB) requires that food handlers need appropriate food safety skills and knowledge to handle potentially hazardous foods. Food handlers must have completed a food safety training course or have skills and knowledge of food safety and hygiene matters commensurate with their work activities.

A chef that prepares and processes food will need a high level of skills and knowledge in food safety and food hygiene; however, a waiter or shop assistant that only handles packaged or plated ready-to-eat food may require a lower level of skills and knowledge.

Category one and category two food businesses must ensure all food handlers have completed a food safety training course or have appropriate skills and knowledge, before they start handling high-risk foods.

It is important to note that online training courses available for food handlers will generally not provide the detailed level of knowledge required for a food safety supervisor. See the Food safety supervisor guideline for more information.

The food landscape in this country is ever changing. And USDA is involved in managing those changes as related to many areas of food processing and food distribution. From the inspection of domestic product, imports, and exports; conducting risk assessments; and educating the public about the importance of food safety, USDA is there.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ensures that our nation's meat, poultry and processed egg supply is wholesome, safe and properly labeled. Through prevention-based policies and practices USDA is meeting the foodborne challenges of the 21st century head on and using science to craft the best ways forward.

USDA continues to protect consumers from the dangers of E. coli contamination by adopting of a zero tolerance policy for six additional strains [E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145] of the pathogen in raw beef products. Prohibiting them just like to E. coli O157:H7. Enforcement to detect these dangerous pathogens and prevent them from reaching consumers began in March 2012.

USDA expects to prevent as many as 25,000 foodborne illnesses annually thanks to tougher standards set for Salmonella and new standards for Campylobacter which will reduce the occurrence of these pathogens in poultry.

Implementation of a "test and hold" policy in December 2012 prevents the recall of unsafe foods. Facilities are now required to hold product until microbiological testing can determine it is safe to release meat, poultry and egg products into commerce. This policy will significantly reduce consumer exposure to unsafe meat products. The measure would have prevented 44 recalls of unsafe foods between 2007 and 2009.

USDA continues to enhance the Public Health Information System, a modernized, comprehensive database that allows the agency to identify public health trends and food safety violations more effectively at the nearly 6,200 plants where the Food Safety and Inspection Service ensures the wholesomeness of the products produced.

USDA began testing additional components of ground beef, including bench trim, and issued new instructions to employees asking that they verify that plants follow sanitary practices in processing beef carcasses. And we issued consolidated, more effective field instructions on how to inspect for E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

The Hotline responded to over 80,000 inquiries (calls, webmail and chats) in fiscal year 2013. In that time, USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone outreach events in the national capital region exposed approximately 619,539 consumers to food safety messages.

To further engage consumers about the importance of food safety at home, USDA teamed with the Ad Council to develop the Food Safe Families campaign, a national, multi-media food safety public education campaign to prevent cross-contamination and to ensure proper cooking and chilling. The campaign is developed in English and Spanish. The campaign motivates consumers to take four simple steps--clean, separate, cook and chill--to protect themselves and their families from foodborne illness. Food Safe Families is entering its fourth year and has been seen or heard by more than 1 billion since its June 2011 launch.

Additionally, USDA is requiring clearer product labels so consumers will know whether products they purchase contain added solutions that might not be apparent. USDA also recently began requiring nutrition labels on single-ingredient raw meat and poultry products to provide more information to consumers.

At USDA, prevention is the anchor, and science is the basis of every food safety decision made. Our scientists in FSIS, Agriculture Research Service (ARS), and in other agencies inform our approach to food safety. Science, data and research are primary tools we use to protect public health.

USDA conducts and funds food safety research to generate real-world results for both government and the private sector. The department is particularly proud of recent work that patented new technology that protects pasteurized liquid eggs, examined the safety of beef trim imports and efforts that led to the publication of the first draft genomes of six dangerous non-O157 strains of E. coli.

Last year, USDA invested more than $70 million into food safety research, education and extension projects that will help build a modern public health system that meets the evolving needs of the farm-to-fork system.

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Each year, roughly one out of six Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick; 128,000 are hospitalized; and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases. The food industry is responsible for producing safe food. Government agencies are responsible for setting food safety standards, conducting inspections, and monitoring food products, including imports. Consumers also play a huge role in keeping their food safe and wholesome. Simple steps like purchasing foods from an approved source, cooking food thoroughly, practicing good hygiene when handling foods, and proper food storage can help reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The link below offer tips for consumers to help keep their food safe.

FoodSafety.gov is the gateway to food safety information provided by government agencies, including the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all of which serve important roles in ensuring food safety in the U.S.

The primary responsibility of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) is to assure the safety and wholesomeness of Michigan's food supply. MDARD regularly monitors Michigan's food supply for pesticide residues, micro-organisms, and other substances that would compromise the quality and wholesomeness of the food we eat. That long-standing commitment to a safe food supply has earned Michigan a national reputation for strictly enforcing the state's food and dairy laws. MDARD inspectors monitor Michigan's food supply at each step in the food chain, and helps assure that food stays safe from the farm the farm gate to your dinner plate.

If you have a question or concern about food you or your family has purchased or eaten, please call the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development toll-free at 800-292-3939 or send an e-mail to MDA-...@Michigan.gov. You will be connected with someone who can answer your question or help address your concern. If you have become ill and suspect foodborne illness, please seek medical attention. If possible, save any leftover suspect food and its packaging in a sealed plastic bag or container and store it in the freezer. If foodborne illness is confirmed, this food sample may be helpful in determining the source of contamination. You may also file a food safety complaint online through the MDARD online complaint form.

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