Risk based food safety assessments
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We work with Department of Health (DOH) to use a risk-based food safety assessment method to ensure consistency between our staff and across the other 78 Victorian Councils.
So, during our assessments, we will focus on high-risk foods being produced at your business and how the Critical Control Points (CCPs) are managed.
A CCP is a step at which a control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
The most common food-related CCP is cooking.
During assessments our EHOs will observe and also ask a lot of questions, about things like:
- what foods you make
- the ingredients used
- how ingredients are prepared
- how foods are cooked or reheated
- how sous vide, fermented or raw end-products are made
- how foods are cooled
- food storage conditions
- how cleaning is undertaken and
- how allergen-free foods are made/handled.
We will also observe and discuss other CCPs related to your food preparation.
It’s important you and your staff are consistent in how you manage the CCPs and processes in your business to ensure food is kept safe at all times, even when main personnel are away.
If you have any questions or feedback regarding our assessments you should contact us.
Common Questions
We always aim to educate and help businesses comply with the Food Act 1984 or the Food Standards Code. However, where this hasn’t worked to address a problem, or there’s a risk to public health, enforcement action can be taken by Council.
Enforcement action can range from warnings and Food Act Orders, up to fines and even prosecution.
Some of the common non compliant issues we see are not having adequate hand washing facilities, having uncovered foods on display, staff members not handling foods safely, staff coming to work with gastro symptoms/food poisoning or not paying a Food Act renewal on time.