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Food Safety Standard 3.1.1 -Interpretation and Application

(Updated July 2007)

Note: The Food Safety Standards do not apply in New Zealand. The provisions of the food standards treaty between Australia and New Zealand do not include food hygiene standards.

What is this standard?

The Food Safety Standards have been developed to ensure that food sold in Australia is safe and suitable to eat. Standard 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application is the introductory standard for all the Food Safety Standards. It defines the terms that are used in more than one of the Food Safety Standards and explains the meaning of 'safe and suitable food'.

Standard 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application states that food businesses must comply with the standards and food handlers must comply with those requirements relevant to them.

Who must comply with this standard?

Standard 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application applies the standards to every food business in Australia with the exception of primary food production businesses, unless those businesses are also involved in the processing or retail sale of food. FSANZ is developing Primary Production and Processing standards separately. See the Primary Production link from the FSANZ home page for more information on developments.  

Food businesses in the primary production and processing sectors for which FSANZ is developing standards, will not be required to comply with the standards until two years after the standard is adopted into the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

A food business is any business or activity that involves the handling of any type of food for sale, or the sale of food in Australia. This includes activities undertaken for charitable or community reasons, as well as commercial ventures and 'once-only' projects that involve the handling and sale of food.

However, charity and community groups, temporary events and home-based businesses are exempt from some of the requirements in the standards.

What are the key provisions in this standard?

Standard 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application includes the provision that requires food businesses to comply with all the requirements in the standards, except for the requirements that apply only to food handlers.

The requirements that apply only to food handlers are set out in Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements. For more information on the responsibilities of food handlers, refer to the fact sheet for

Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements the fact sheet 

Food Safety Standards -Health and hygiene, responsibilities of food handlers,  or the standard itself.

 

Need more information?

Copies of the standards, the guides to these and other fact sheets and supporting material can be found on the FSANZ website (www.foodstandards.gov.au).

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(Updated July 2007)