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Health and hygiene for food handlers
Health and hygiene for food handlers If you're a food handler, making sure you don't contaminate food through illness or unclean habits is very important to keep food safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, as a food handler you need to do whatever you can to make sure you do not make food unsafe or unsuitable. Be clean and careful wash and dry your hands thoroughly stop hair, clothes, jewellery or phone touching food or surfaces (e.g. tie hair back, remove loose jewellery, cover open sores) don't touch ready-to-eat food with your bare hands - use tongs or gloves wear clean clothing and aprons do not eat, spit, smoke, sneeze, blow or cough over food or surfaces that…
Published 1 October 2025
Food safety for vulnerable people
Food safety for vulnerable people Vulnerable people have a greater risk of getting sick because their immune system is weakened (or still developing). These people include pregnant women, their unborn and newborn babies, the elderly and people whose immune systems have been weakened by illness or drugs (for example: cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and people on drugs like cortisone). Keeping food safe To reduce the chance of illness from food, it is important to always practice good food safety. Everyone should follow these food safety basics: keep things clean separate raw food from ready-to-eat food cook food thoroughly keep cold food cold, and hot food hot. See food…
Published 29 July 2025
Food colours
Food colours Food colours are either produced naturally or derived synthetically. Like all food additives, colours must undergo a safety assessment by FSANZ before they can be used in food or drinks sold in Australia or New Zealand. This process sets a safety limit for food additives to try and ensure no one would eat an unsafe level, even if they ate a large amount of foods containing the colour over a lifetime. The food colours currently approved have been used safely for decades and FSANZ reviews all new evidence about the safety of food colours. Surveys undertaken by FSANZ have found that Australian children consume low levels of food colours. Food intolerance Some people notice a reaction to either natural or synthetic additives. Reported reactions…
Published 14 May 2021
Food safety standards - temperature control requirements
Food safety standards - temperature control requirements Chapter 3 (Australia Only), Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code 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. Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements sets out specific requirements for keeping potentially hazardous food at specified temperatures and for cooling and reheating. Food businesses must comply with these requirements unless they can show that they have a safe alternative system in place to ensure that food stays safe to eat. Which foods have to be kept under temperature control? Potentially hazardous foods must be kept under temperature control. Which foods are…
Published 11 February 2016
Food safety in an emergency
Food safety in an emergency There are a few things to remember before, during and after and emergency to keep your food safe Before Have a supply of long-life items including milk, bottled water and canned goods. Prepare eskies with ice bricks or gel packs to keep food cold if the power goes out. Keep a can opener handy. Don't forget about food for infants or pets. Store food somewhere above floodwater if there's a risk of flooding. Have a supply of drinking-quality water, detergent, bleach and alcohol-based hand sanitiser. During Keep food cold, clean and check the label. Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible. A fridge should keep food cold for around four hours - after that it can begin to spoil. Keep the freezer door…
Published 2 October 2025
Proposal P1053 - Food Safety Management tools
Proposal P1053 - Food Safety Management tools Food service and related retail sectors are vitally important to the Australian economy and our way of life. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assessed a proposal to strengthen food safety and consistently deliver safer food to consumers, thereby supporting consumer confidence in these sectors. On 14 September 2022, the FSANZ Board approved a new food standard applying new regulatory measures to food service and retail businesses that handle potentially hazardous food. The new regulatory measures are: food handler training; food safety supervisor; and evidence to substantiate food safety management of key processes. The standard was agreed to by Food Ministers in November 2022 and took effect in December 2023. Tools and guidance to improve food safety…
Published 30 September 2025
Survey of Plasticisers in Australian Foods
Survey of Plasticisers in Australian Foods (March 2018) The Survey of Plasticisers in Australian Foods investigated the levels of seven plasticisers which may be used in food packaging materials. The following plasticisers were inspected in broad range of Australian foods: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) diisononyl phthalate (DINP) butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) dibutyl phthalate (DBP) diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) the adipate plasticiser; di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) the citrate plasticiser; acetyltributylcitrate (ATBC). These substances have been associated with plastic, paper and cardboard food packaging as well as food grade adhesives and sealants. The survey looked at 65 different packaged foods and beverages that represent typical consumption patterns for Australian consumers.…
Published 15 March 2018
Colours and food additives reported as banned
Colours and food additives reported as banned Sometimes colours and other food additives are reported as “banned” in some countries but permitted in Australia and New Zealand. A lack of permission in a country is not the same thing as a ban. It may mean manufacturers have never sought permission to use the additive, usually because alternatives are approved. Sometimes additives are not approved because of circumstances unique to a country (e.g. different dietary exposure). Different countries also have their own food regulatory systems and legislation. This can mean an additive may have been banned many years ago, however scientific evidence since then has proven it is safe. For example, there is legislation in the US that prevents permission of…
Published 15 September 2021
Transgenic food animals
Transgenic food animals A Survey of publicly available information (December 2003) By Gregory S. Harper* , Alan Brownlee, Thomas E. Hall, Robert Seymour, Russell Lyons, Patrick Ledwith CSIRO Livestock Industries, 306 Carmody Rd., St. Lucia, Qld 4067 Executive Summary The last decade of animal research has reinforced the view that some food-related qualities of animal products (e.g. eating quality and yield) are strongly influenced by the genotype of the animal. Likewise animal production performance characteristics (e.g. growth rate and disease resistance) have been improved by selective breeding. One significant advantage of transgenesis is in rapid genetic improvement of traits of interest, and a dramatic example of its impact can be seen in transgenic coho salmon that grow up to 11 times faster than their non…
Published 3 April 2013
Nanotechnology and Food
Nanotechnology and Food What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology describes a range of technologies used to manipulate materials that are generally less than 100 nanometres (nm) in size in one dimension. One nm is one billionth of a metre. Are nanotechnologies being used in foods? There is little evidence to suggest nanotechnologies are being used in the food industry on a wide scale, although a lot of research is being undertaken on potential applications. Future applications of nanotechnologies could include nanostructured food products, nanoscale or nano-encapsulated food additives, or food packaging with improved properties. There are, however, certain foods including food additives that naturally contain nanoscale particles. Are nanoscale materials new? Nanoscale materials are not new. Food is…
Published 28 September 2022