FOOD SAFETY TRAINING FOR THE CARE SECTOR

In the care setting, large numbers of children are often in close contact for large periods of time throughout the day.   Children also share toys, mats, drink bubblers and other resources.  For these reasons, there are increased opportunities for hygiene to be compromised and germs to be spread.  

Therefore, it is important that food safety training takes into account children’s underdeveloped hygiene practices and the nature of how food is prepared and served in the care environment.  

EPEC has addressed all of these factors in its food safety training including the relevance of the correct development and implementation of food safety and environmental checklists.

Yes. EPEC’s Food Safety training meets the new 3.2.2A food safety standards.

Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, and Standard 3.2.2A – Food Safety Management Tools, require businesses to make sure the people who handle food, and their supervisors, have skills and knowledge in food safety and hygiene appropriate for their duties.

To meet their Standard 3.2.2A obligations, businesses can choose how food handlers are trained, but it must cover:

• safe handling of food
• understanding of food contamination
• cleaning and sanitising of food premises and equipment
• personal hygiene

No specific timeframe or refresher period has been set in the Standard. However, businesses must ensure food handlers’ skills and knowledge are adequate and up to date.  

As such, we recommend scheduling annual refresher training as best practice.

A Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) oversees day to day food handling operations, helps all food handlers to handle food safely and ensures food safety risks are managed.

They must be certified within the past 5 years and have skills and knowledge in food safety, especially around high-risk foods.

All educators and caregivers who successfully complete the required unit for Food Safety Supervisor accreditation SIRRFSA001: Handle Food Safely in a Retail Environment will receive an accredited Food Safety Supervisor certificate on successful completion of the course.

Under NSW food safety legislation, only Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) endorsed by the NSW Food Authority are able to deliver accredited Food Safety Supervisor training.  

For NSW, a specific Food Safety Supervisor Certificate is required.

EPEC Education is approved to deliver this training and the NSW Food Authority certification. 

No, although it is best practice for them to be on the premises while all food handling is undertaken.

The FSS must be ‘reasonably available’ as a point of contact for food handlers and authorised officers. ‘Reasonably available’ means the FSS works onsite and oversees food handling of high-risk unpackaged foods and can be easily contacted (e.g. by phone).

If the FSS is away (eg not on shift, on leave or sick), the business must still maintain food safety. Larger businesses that operate longer hours may choose to nominate several people to be trained and appointed as an FSS to help cover shift work and leave.

For some states, it is a requirement that there be a Food Safety Supervisor available for each site, not just one available across multiple sites.

• A Food Safety Supervisor employed in your workplace. 
• A person with Food Safety Qualifications - accredited units completed as single units or part of a course.
• A head chef or other trained food specialist.
• A workplace manager, Supervisor or Director.

The legislation in relation to food safety training varies across States and Territories.  However, if you do not have a food license and you do not serve food to more than 6 children you may not be required to undergo food safety training.

Best practice indicates that all educators who come into contact with food at any time during their delivery of care should undertake Food Handler training.  EPEC Education’s online 2 hr Food Handler Certificate - Care Sector course fulfils this requirement.  

EPEC Education is referring all Family Daycare Providers to their state food authority for clarification in relation to what required training they may need to undertake. 

The third-party report is an on-site assessment requirement. If you do not have anyone onsite to sign this report, you may need to approach your head office or volunteer at another workplace to complete the required activities. A person with Food Safety Qualifications – accredited units completed as single units or part of a course may include staff who have completed or are completing a Certificate III or Diploma level qualification that includes Units such as HLTFSE007 - Oversee the day-to-day implementation of food safety in the workplace.

*Obligations under the legislation varies from state to state. Your regulator should have advised you about the new Food Standards, and whether you are impacted as a Category 1 or a Category 2 provider.

If you have questions or concerns in relation to your specific service model delivery and practices, we recommend that you contact the Food Enforcement Agency relevant to your state.  More information and contacts can be found on the: 

Food Standards Code ANZ website

For NSW providers, the NSW Food Authority have a useful short quiz for businesses to find out which Food Safety Management Tools apply under the new Standard 3.2.2A in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Click here to take the quiz.

Businesses who need to be able to show they are safely receiving, storing, processing, displaying and transporting potentially hazardous food, and cleaning and sanitising accurately can meet this requirement by:

• keeping records, and/or
• demonstrating safe food practices.

EPEC Education has Food Safety Program training in development. Please speak to EPEC staff in order to be alerted when this training is released. 

This training will also be tailored specifically to the care sector and will include free checklists and templates which will be required to be implemented as part of your Food Safety Program.  This training will take approximately 3 hours to complete and will be delivered 100% Online.