The following web sites are useful reference points for information about food safety programs and food safety in general. Many contain valuable training fact sheets for training your staff and volunteers and for communicating the food safety message to your customers and end consumers.
FSANZ – Food Standards Australia New Zealand
This web site for the Food Standards Australia New Zealand contains useful information regarding the latest changes to the food safety standards and food safety in Australia in general.
Australian Food Standards Code
The Australian Food Standards Code can be ordered and/or downloaded on this web site.You can obtain a hard copy of the Australian Food Standards Code by phoning FSANZ on 03 92781144 or on-line at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/thecode/foodsafetystandardsaustraliaonly/
FSANZ – Food Standards Australia New Zealand Fact Sheets
FSANZ publishes some really useful fact sheets which can be used by your organisation to train and inform staff, volunteers and suppliers. There are also translated fact sheets in other languages.
You can also download or order obtain copies of industry guides including;
The Industry Guide to Developing a Food Safety Program (Hospitals and Aged Care)
The Industry Guide to Developing a Food Safety Program (Hospitals and Aged Care) Template
The 'Cleaning and sanitising fresh produce' procedure
and NSW Food Authority Audit guidelines
NSW Food Authority Newsletter for organisations serving Vulnerable Persons
The NSW Food Authority publishes regular updates on changes to food service in NSW Meals on Wheels organisations as well as other healthcare, aged care and community organisations. New editions will be highlighted on this web site when they appear.
Every NSW Meals on Wheels organisation must be listed with the NSW Food Authority. This can be done via this web site.
Department of Health and Aging
The Department of Health and Aging web site has extensive information for food handling and the surveillance and monitoring of food safety standards and incidences of food borne illnesses in Australia. The Department also funded the development of a video, Food Safety Guidelines for Community Food Events, in 19 languages which acts as a simple instructional guide for any community group planning a food event to incorporate the principles of food safety. Contact the Association if you do not yet have a copy.
The OzFoodNet web site provides a summary of all national outbreaks of food-borne illness and food recalls and is a very useful site to refer to regarding commonly occurring outbreaks and the causes of food borne illness in the Health and Community Services sector throughout Australia.
This monthly newsletter is an invaluable resource for Meals on Wheels service organisations and is produced by the Queensland Department of Health.Food safety matters is an excellent training resource on how to handle food safely and is aimed at the consumer. This makes it a good resource when training staff and volunteers.
This website explains how to keep food safe at home, school and work and has free training resources which can be viewed and downloaded.
Food Safety information Council
The Food Safety Information Council aims to reduce the number of Australians getting sick from food poisoning by providing simple, easy to follow consumer information on the handling, storage and preparation of food.The Council is supported by the Australia Department of Health and Ageing.
Council members include representatives of state, territory and local government and food safety agencies, the food industry, community groups and professional associations.
This web site has really good information including; information about Food Safety Week (Held in November of each year), Fact Sheets, Frequently asked questions, food safety Quizzes, Articles and Surveys etc. You can also order food safety posters, Educational material and brochures.
Other Australian State Food Authorities
Each state and Territory in Australia has a Food Authority to govern and monitor food safety in the Health, aged and community care sectors. Some of these web sites have very useful information with resources for training staff and volunteers and for managing your Food Safety Program and have resources for developing your Food Safety Program. The most commonly used web sites are the Queensland and Victorian web sites.
This is a very useful web site with information about the global food industry. This site collates international food safety data. There is also a free newsletter, the Douglas Powell newsletter, which is a free subscription service. The site regularly provides updates on research and tips on sanitising methods, temperature controls, training tips cleaning etc.
Notification of a Food Business
Every business and organisation producing food must be registered with their local council. This is a legislative requirement for all organisations which are not registered with the NSW Food Authority. This will include meals on wheels organisations which are not required to have a food safety program (e.g. those MOW services which do not alter meals in any way) and social day centres for the aged. Registration is easy and can be done at the following web site: www.foodnotify.nsw.gov.au