Food safety and hygiene

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a systematic approach to identifying, evaluating, and controlling food safety hazards. Follow your establishment’s food-safety procedures and training.

The seven HACCP principles are: (1) Conduct a hazard analysis; (2) Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs); (3) Establish critical limits; (4) Establish monitoring procedures; (5) Establish corrective actions; (6) Establish verification procedures; (7) Establish documentation and record keeping.

As a T&H worker, you may not design the HACCP plan — but you must understand it well enough to follow it and to recognise when a critical control point is being violated. The temperature controls in your kitchen, the handwashing procedure before food handling, and the allergen labelling system may all form part of the establishment’s food-safety system.

Temperature control limits the growth of harmful bacteria. Minimise the time food spends outside its required storage or holding conditions, and follow the kitchen’s validated procedure.

Follow the food’s storage instructions and your kitchen’s validated time-and-temperature procedures, and ask the responsible supervisor which limits apply. Do not substitute a generic temperature list for the food-specific instructions.

Complete required workplace temperature records accurately and at the instructed intervals. Never invent or alter readings; report missed checks or readings outside the required limits.

Personal hygiene is the first line of defence in food safety. Hands must be washed before handling food, after touching raw meat, after using the toilet, after touching your face or hair, after handling waste, and after handling chemicals. Wash thoroughly with soap and water, following your workplace’s food-handler hygiene procedure.

Cover hand wounds with a suitable waterproof dressing according to workplace policy; blue dressings are commonly used in food settings. If you have vomiting or diarrhoea, report it to your supervisor immediately and do not handle food while affected. Follow the workplace’s illness reporting procedure.

In food preparation areas, hair must be tied back and covered. Jewellery should be removed or kept minimal. Clean uniforms must be worn and changed if heavily soiled. Strong-smelling personal products should be avoided in food preparation contexts.

Cross-contamination occurs when harmful bacteria or allergens are transferred from one food (or surface, or hand) to another. It can transfer harmful microorganisms or allergens. Prevention requires deliberate separation of raw and ready-to-eat foods, physically and through the workplace’s designated equipment system (which may use colour coding).

Keep raw-food equipment separate from ready-to-eat food equipment. Follow the workplace’s designated equipment and cleaning system; ask a supervisor if colours or labels are unclear. A board that looks clean may still carry contamination.

Surfaces must be cleaned and sanitised between uses, particularly when switching between raw and ready-to-eat food preparation. Cleaning removes dirt; where required, disinfecting or sanitising reduces microorganisms. Use the approved method, dilution and contact time. A surface that has been cleaned but not treated as your procedure requires may still pose a contamination risk.

Food businesses must follow allergen-information rules. Learn the regulated allergen categories from a verified list and your workplace training. Treat peanuts and the specified tree nuts as separate categories, and distinguish crustaceans from molluscs.

In a hospitality setting, you may be asked directly by a customer whether a dish contains a specific allergen. If you do not know with certainty, never guess — take the question to the kitchen and confirm with the chef before answering. An incorrect answer that causes an allergic reaction can be fatal.

Allergen management includes storing allergen-containing ingredients separately, clearly labelling pre-packed foods, using separate utensils and surfaces when preparing allergen-free dishes, and ensuring all staff know which dishes on the menu contain which allergens.