Food safety programs are designed to help businesses identify and manage hazards to food safety. Most Safe Food Victoria licensed businesses must develop and implement a documented food safety program (FSP). DO WE TALK ABOUT COUNCIL REG BUS?
Food safety programs are based on Codex Alimentarius Commission’s HACCP system and guidelines, or Standard 3.2.1 of the Food Standards Code.
A food safety program is a documented system that describes how a food business controls the safety of the food being processed. The food safety program can be presented as a written version or as an electronic version.
Your food safety program must contain:
- a quality policy
- HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points)
- prerequisite programs
- standard operating procedures and work instructions
- a documented monitoring system i.e. weekly diary, forms and records.
If you are monitoring electronically, your monitoring system must:
- record the date and time when the monitoring occurred
- provide an explanation if Critical Control Points or Control Points were not under control
- say what was monitored e.g. product and cool room temperature
- have a backup system if the electronic monitoring and recording fails
- show that the food safety data was checked, dated, and signed
- meet the retention period required by the applicable standards
- include how your electronic monitoring system was installed, downloaded and checked in your food safety program.
Use the Food Safety Program: A guide for Victorian dairy manufacturers as a guide to writing your food safety program. Some businesses choose to engage professional assistance in drafting a food safety program but care must be taken to ensure that you understand the program and can implement it fully when you commence operations.
A microbiological testing program must be included in your food safety program. Please refer to the Compendium of Microbiological Criteria for Food for guidance.
Additional requirements – producing raw milk cheese
If you intend to produce raw milk cheese you will need to address the additional requirements under Standard 4.2.4 in a documented and validated food safety program for DFSV approval. Further information, including a checklist of the additional requirements, is available here.
Additional requirements – milk not intended for human consumption
If you are receiving raw milk direct from a farm and intend to produce dairy products that are not for human consumption you are required to be licensed with DFSV. Such products must be treated to deter human consumption and must not be packaged in a way that could be confused with products intended for consumption. You will need to provide a plan for achieving this to DFSV for approval.Independent FSP - Class 1 food businesses and class 2 manufacturers
All Class 1 food businesses and class 2 manufacturers must have a food safety program.
- you must prepare a food safety program specific to your businesses operations
- the program must cover all food handling and food processing activities
- a food safety auditor must assess the program for adequacy
- a yearly audit is required
This type of program is sometimes called an independent or non-standard food safety program.
For more information, see Food safety audits.
Class 2 food businesses
Class 2 retail, and food service businesses, require a food safety program if they carry out any of the food processes listed below.
Food processes that require a food safety program
A food safety program is required if the business undertakes any of the following:
- Sous vide cooking, where food is cooked at less than 75°C under controlled time and temperature conditions inside vacuum‑sealed packages, in water baths or steam ovens
- Handling potentially hazardous food without temperature control to minimise the growth of pathogenic or toxigenic organisms, as described in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2)
- Preparation of acidified or fermented ready‑to‑eat foods or drinks that rely on high acidity to remain safe, where acid is naturally present, added, or produced through microbial activity
- Preparation of ready‑to‑eat foods containing raw, unshelled (unpasteurised) eggs
- Preparation of ready‑to‑eat raw or rare minced or finely chopped red meat
- Preparation of ready‑to‑eat raw or rare poultry or game meat
- Off‑site catering, where ready‑to‑eat potentially hazardous food is prepared or partly prepared at one location and transported to another location for service
- Other complex food processing activities, including:
- pasteurisation or other thermal processing to eliminate pathogenic organisms
- packaging food where oxygen is removed or replaced with other gases to improve food safety or extend shelf life
- food processing activities that do not use temperature control to minimise the growth of pathogenic or toxigenic organisms, as described in Standard 3.2.2
FoodSmart - a free food safety program template for class 2 retail and food service businesses
Some businesse may be able to use the The FoodSmart FSP template:
- is for food retail and food service businesses
- covers common high‑risk and potentially hazardous food processes
- is free to use, if it suits the business’s activities
When you can use FoodSmart
FoodSmart may be suitable for food retail and food service businesses that undertake food processes such as:
- sous vide cooking at less than 75°C under controlled conditions
- preparation of ready‑to‑eat acidified or fermented foods or drinks
- preparation of ready‑to‑eat foods containing raw, unshelled eggs
- off‑site catering involving ready‑to‑eat potentially hazardous food
The FoodSmart standard FSP cannot be used if your business uses food processes that are not covered in its contents.
When you cannot use FoodSmart
The department’s standard template cannot be used by:
- food manufacturers, or
- food retail or food service businesses that carry out food processes not covered by the template
These businesses must have a non‑standard food safety program.
Processes not covered include:
- handling potentially hazardous food without temperature control, as described in Standard 3.2.2. such as display of potentially hazardous foods out of temperature control for more than 4 hours.
- preparation of ready‑to‑eat raw or rare minced or finely chopped red meat
- preparation of ready‑to‑eat raw or rare poultry or game meat
- complex food processing activities, including:
- pasteurisation or other thermal processing
- packaging food where oxygen is removed or replaced to improve safety or extend shelf life
- food processing activities that do not rely on temperature control to minimise the growth of pathogens
How to use FoodSmart
Download a copy of the FoodSmart FSP template (below) and ensure that your food business processes and activities are compliant with its contents. You can also download and use the ‘Records’ zip files to customise FoodSmart for your food business processes and activities.
FoodSmart(opens in a new window)PDF 2.66 MBFoodSmart records(opens in a new window)zip 363.57 KBFoodSmart Arabic(opens in a new window)PDF 6.98 MBFoodSmart records Arabic(opens in a new window)zip 317.53 KBFoodSmart simplified Chinese(opens in a new window)PDF 6.37 MBFoodSmart records simplified Chinese(opens in a new window)zip 312.2 KBFoodSmart Vietnamese(opens in a new window)PDF 6.72 MBFoodSmart records Vietnamese(opens in a new window)zip 320.84 KB
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