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Food safety: temperature control of potentially hazardous foods
Food safety: temperature control of potentially hazardous foods (First printed edition August 2002) Guidance on the temperature control requirements of Standard 3.2.2Food Safety Practices and General Requirements Keeping foods at the right temperatures is an essential food safety practice This guide explains the temperature control requirements in Food Safety Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements and provides some advice on how to comply with the requirements. Food businesses are required by State and Territory food laws to ensure that the food they prepare and sell is safe to eat. 'Safe to eat' means that food will not cause illness when someone eats it. The common symptoms of food borne illness, or food poisoning, are diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains. Symptoms may also include nausea, headaches, fever, muscle…
Published 3 April 2013
Welcome to 2026
Welcome to 2026 On behalf of all of us at Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), happy new year and a warm welcome to 2026. I am looking forward to productive and collaborative engagement with you, our valued partners and stakeholders across the food regulation system, as we work together to ensure the food Australians and New Zealanders enjoy is safe and trusted. This year, our focus is on progressing key standards work that supports informed consumer choice, protects public health and drives innovation. Several major pieces of work in these areas are moving toward key decision points, while others are in the early stages of development. Our work program dashboard provides an overview of our current projects and priorities. As always, these activities are…
Published 4 February 2026
A message from our CEO
A message from our CEO Happy New Year from all of us at Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)! As we move into 2025, I look forward to continuing to work alongside my FSANZ colleagues, our dedicated Board and you - our valued stakeholders. Through collaboration and commitment, I am confident we will embrace new opportunities and address emerging challenges to deliver on our vision of World-leading standards, safe food for life. FSANZ is dedicated to making food safer, empowering consumers to make informed, healthier choices, and enabling industry to produce safe, nutritious food while thriving in both local and global markets. Our priorities in 2025 include finalising energy labelling and claims on alcoholic beverages, updating definitions for gene technology and new breeding techniques, and completing reviews on egg food safety and caffeine. We will also…
Published 6 February 2025
Call for comment on irradiation of fruits and vegetables
Call for comment on irradiation of fruits and vegetables Food Standards Australia New Zealand is calling for comment on an application to irradiate fresh fruit and vegetables. FSANZ CEO Mark Booth said the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has applied for permission to irradiate fresh fruit and vegetables as a way to stop the spread of pests like fruit fly when food is moved across quarantine borders. “Fruit fly is an ongoing threat to the horticulture industry, both here in Australia, New Zealand and internationally. “Australian quarantine laws mean food produced in an area where there are known pests, must be treated before they can be sent internationally or to states or territories that have quarantine restrictions. “Irradiation has a long history of safe use and is used in many countries around the world…
Published 30 October 2020
Food recalls requirements
Food recalls requirements If you're a food manufacturer, wholesaler or importer it's important to know how to recall unsafe food as quickly as possible to avoid people becoming sick or injured from eating it. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, if you're a food manufacturer, wholesale supplier or importer, you must be able to recall unsafe food. That means your business needs to: have a written recall plan in place use the plan if a recall is needed show the plan to an authorised officer if asked. All food businesses must make sure that any recalled food on their premises is clearly identified and held separate from other food until it is dealt with. Be prepared As a food manufacturer, wholesale supplier or importer you need to have a written recall…
Published 30 September 2025
MSG in food
MSG in food In 1908, a Japanese chemistry professor determined that monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) was responsible for the characteristic meaty or savoury taste of the broth of dried bonito and Japanese seaweed. Since then, various salts of glutamic acid including MSG (all of which are also known as 'glutamates') have been commercially produced and deliberately added to food as a flavour enhancer. Glutamates also occur naturally in almost all foods, including meat, fish, vegetables and mushrooms. Even breast milk contains naturally occurring glutamate. In general, protein-rich foods such as meat contain large amounts of bound glutamate, whereas vegetables and fruits (especially peas, tomatoes, and potatoes) and mushrooms tend to contain high levels of free glutamate. Certain cheeses, such as Parmesan, also…
Published 17 October 2017
Food safety supervisor
Food safety supervisor Food service, caterer and related retail businesses in Australia need to meet food safety supervisor requirements that came in December 2023. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2A - 11, category one and two businesses must: appoint a certified food safety supervisor (FSS) before engaging in a 'prescribed activity' the certificate must be from either a registered training organisation or an organisation recognised by the relevant food regulator the certificate must have been obtained within the past 5 years ensure that the FSS is reasonably available to advise and supervise each food handler engaged in that prescribed activity. Prescribed activities involve handling…
Published 1 October 2025
Call for comment on Very Low Energy Diets
Call for comment on Very Low Energy Diets 19/11/2021 Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to codify Very Low Energy Diets (VLED) within Standard 2.9.5 - Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP) in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code). The application also seeks alignment with an international standard, the codeX Standard for Formula Foods for Use in Very Low Energy Diets for Weight Reduction (codex STAN 203-1995). FSANZ interim Chief Executive Officer Dr Sandra Cuthbert said if approved, the variation would provide regulatory clarity and certainty for VLED and foster international harmonisation. “VLED are formulated for the dietary management of overweight and obesity and are intended for use under medical supervision, providing the sole source of nutrition within a narrow energy range to…
Published 19 November 2021
Genetically modified foods
Genetically modified foods All genetically modified (GM) foods intended for sale in Australia and New Zealand must undergo a safety assessment by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). FSANZ will not approve a GM food unless it is safe to eat. Read more about GM foods. In this section General information about GM foods…
Published 21 October 2025
Food Safety Standards (Chapter 3)
Food Safety Standards (Chapter 3) NOTE: these standards apply to all food businesses in Australia only. Food businesses in New Zealand are required to comply with New Zealand's Food Act 1981 and the regulations and standards under this Act. For more information visit the Ministry for Primary Industries website. The food safety standards aim to lower the incidence of foodborne illness. They place obligations on Australian food businesses to produce food that is safe and suitable to eat, and also place health and hygiene obligations on food handlers. 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. Charities, community groups and businesses operating from a private home…
Published 6 August 2025