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Health and hygiene - advice for food businesses

Health and hygiene - advice for food businesses If you're a food business, making sure no-one contaminates your food because of illness or unclean habits is important to keep food safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses need to do whatever they can to make sure no-one on their premises contaminates food. Under Standard 3.2.3 - Food Premises and Equipment, businesses need to provide staff with hand washing facilities, toilets and storage space for personal belongings. Reduce your risk

• only food handlers should be in food preparation or packing areas
• if…

  Published 22 May 2025

Food Safety Week 2024: 'Look before you cook – reading food labels'

Food Safety Week 2024: 'Look before you cook – reading food labels' Do you ‘look before you cook’ your favourite foods? Consumers are being encouraged to check the food safety instructions on packaged foods before preparing meals as part of Australian Food Safety Week (9-16 November). Brought to you by our friends at the Food Safety Information Council (FSIC), Food Safety Week is an annual event promoting good food safety practices. This year’s theme, ‘Look before you cook,’ highlights the importance of checking food labels and following storage and cooking instructions to ensure food is handled in a way that prevents hazards like bacteria entering food and causing foodborne illness. Millions of Australians are affected by food poisoning each year. Taking simple precautions,…

Published 8 November 2024

Standard 3.2.2A- Food safety management tools

Standard 3.2.2A- Food safety management tools Food service, caterer and related retail businesses in Australia need to meet food safety requirements that came in December 2023.  What is Standard 3.2.2A?

• Standard 3.2.2.A is a national food safety standard and an extension of Standard 3.2.2 requirements.
• It applies to Australian businesses in food service, catering and retail sectors that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous food that is ready to eat.
• Generally, these include caterers, restaurants, cafes, takeaway shops, pubs, supermarkets and delis, food vans and other facilities serving food.
• These businesses will implement either two or three food safety management tools, based on their food handling activities. The three tools…

  Published 22 May 2025

Building global connections for a safer, more innovative food future

Building global connections for a safer, more innovative food future Strong international partnerships are essential to keeping national and global food systems safe, trusted and innovative. FSANZ CEO Dr Sandra Cuthbert and Public Health Branch General Manager Christel Leemhuis recently joined more than 20 national and international food authority leaders at the sixth International Heads of Food Agencies Forum in Santiago, Chile. The theme for this year’s forum was Innovation, Technology and Digital Transformation in Food Safety. FSANZ chaired a key session on using AI to improve food inspections and contributed to discussions on digital transformation, emerging technologies, risk communication and managing information in the digital age. FSANZ also shared insights into Australia's approach to cell-cultured food assessments…

Published 6 May 2025

Transporting food

Transporting food When you are transporting food, you need to consider two main food safety issues: keeping the food protected from contamination and, if the food is potentially hazardous, keeping it cold (5°C or colder) or hot (60°C or hotter). Protecting food from contamination It is important to protect food from contamination by keeping it covered at all times. You can achieve this by using containers with lids or by applying plastic film over containers. Materials used to cover food should be suitable for food contact, to ensure that they do not contain any chemicals that could leach into the food. Aluminium foil, plastic film and clean paper may be used, and food should be completely covered. Packaged products should not need additional covering. Previously used materials and newspaper may…

Published 11 February 2016

Microplastics in food

Microplastics in food Microplastics are generally considered to be small plastic particles less than about 5mm in size. Primary microplastics are small to begin with, such as microbeads that are added to personal care products. Secondary microplastics, on the other hand, start off as larger plastic items, such as plastic bags, but degrade into microplastic particles over time. Recently, there's been increasing interest in the effects of microplastics pollution. Media reports have examined microplastics pollution, especially in the marine environment, and possible contamination of the food supply. Most research to date has been on microplastics in the marine environment. Plastic litter can enter our seas and oceans, where it never completely breaks down. Instead, it 'breaks up…

Published 3 November 2023

Health and hygiene - advice for food handlers

Health and hygiene - advice for food handlers Making sure you don't contaminate food through illness or unclean habits is important to keep food safe to eat.

• washing your hands with soap and drying them thoroughly
• stopping hair, clothes, jewellery or phone touching food or surfaces - for example tie your hair back, remove loose jewellery, cover open sores
• not touching ready-to-eat food with your bare hands - use tongs or gloves
• wearing…

  Published 22 May 2025

Antimicrobial resistance and food safety

Antimicrobial resistance and food safety Practicing good food safety can reduce the risk of foodborne illness and help limit the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Microorganisms, including bacteria, are everywhere. They can spread through the interactions and movement of people, animals, food and the environment. Some bacteria are good, some are harmful, and some are resistant to antibiotics (which are antimicrobials). Everyone can play a role in slowing the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  The Australian food supply is one of the safest in the world, but people can still get sick from eating contaminated foods. Foodborne illness can be caused by bacteria and in some cases these bacteria can also be antimicrobial resistant. This means the steps we…

Published 16 March 2023

New requirements for allergen labelling on packaged foods

New requirements for allergen labelling on packaged foods Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today announced new requirements for allergen labelling on packaged foods.  The changes to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code) will help ensure mandatory food allergen declarations are clear and consistent so that consumers have the information they need to make safe food choices.  The requirements include:

• the declaration of allergen information in a specific format and location on food labels
• the use of simple, plain English terms for allergen declarations.   

Published 25 February 2021

Food traceability

Food traceability Being able to track food through all stages of production, processing and distribution will make it easier and quicker for you to recall it if something goes wrong. What are the requirements? Traceability requirements are listed under the following standards:

• Standard 1.2.2 - Food Identification Requirements, for labelling food
• Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, for food receipt and food recall
• Primary production and processing Standards 4.2.1 to 4.2.9.

• You should know the details about the food on your premises…

  Published 22 May 2025