Food Safety Programs
The Food Act 2005 requires some licensable food businesses to have an accredited Food Safety Program. This is to identify, document and control food safety hazards within a business.
Licensable food businesses must have an accredited food safety program if:
- the food business involves off-site catering, e.g. provides catering at events
- the main activity of the food business is on-site catering
- the main activity of the food business is on-site catering at part of the premises where they are catering to 200 or more people on 12 or more occasions in any 12 month period, e.g. convention centre
- the food business is part of the operations of a private hospital or processes or serves potentially hazardous food to six or more vulnerable people, e.g. nursing home, childcare facility.
Council’s Food Business Licence application guide explains the process of developing a Food Safety Program, submitting it to Council and getting it accredited.
Queensland Health have created templates to assist food business licensees with the development of their Food Safety Programs. There are templates for Caterers, Childcare facilities and Private hospitals and they can be found at this link. Develop a food safety program | Health and wellbeing | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)
Once you have developed your Food Safety Program, obtained a Notice of Written Advice from an approved auditor, you can submit it to Council for accreditation.
This link Register of approved auditors - Food safety auditing | Publications | Queensland Government will take you to a list of approved auditors to assist you with both the development of your program and obtaining your Notice of Written Advice. Please note that they cannot be the same auditor.
This link is to the Food safety program accreditation and amendment form.