Food safety programs help businesses identify and manage food safety risks. Most businesses licensed by Safe Food Victoria must develop and implement a documented food safety program.
If your business is registered with your local council, you may also need to have an food safety program.
Food safety programs are based on Codex Alimentarius Commission’s HACCP system and guidelines, or Standard 3.2.1 of the Food Standards Code.
Food safety programs help dairy businesses identify, manage and review food safety risks in their operations. They set out the controls, monitoring, records, corrective actions and staff training needed to support safe dairy food production.
Safe Food Victoria may approve food safety programs and monitor their implementation. Food safety program requirements apply to relevant dairy licence holders, including dairy farmers, dairy manufacturers and dairy food carriers.
Guidance is available to help you develop your food safety program. These resources provide guidance, but your program must still be suitable for your business activities, products, premises, equipment and food safety risks.Microbiological testing and verification
Your food safety program should explain how you verify that your food safety controls are effective. This may include microbiological testing, where relevant to your products, processes and risks.
Microbiological testing should be considered in the context of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, including Standard 1.6.1 and any requirements relevant to your dairy products or inputs. The Compendium of Microbiological Criteria for Food may also help inform your testing and verification approach.Additional food safety program requirements – producing raw milk cheese
If you produce raw milk cheese, you must include the additional requirements under Standard 4.2.4 in a documented and validated food safety program for Safe Food Victoria approval.
Audit and compliance.Your approved food safety program must be followed in practice. Safe Food Victoria may assess this through audit or other compliance monitoring. Audits check whether your business is following its approved food safety program, meeting licence conditions and complying with relevant food safety requirements.
If an auditor identifies non-compliance, a corrective action request may be issued. You must address any required corrective action within the specified timeframe and provide evidence that the issue has been fixed.
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 templates below to develop your food safety program for retail meat or retail seafood.
These templates are designed for low-risk meat and seafood activities carried out by retailers. When you use them, you must tailor them to your business operations, products and market requirements.
You must also meet all relevant legislative requirements and identify and control all potential food safety hazards.
Retail meat food safety program template(opens in a new window)Word 750.51 KBRetail seafood food safety program template(opens in a new window)Word 759.58 KBIndependent Food Safety Program - 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 audits and inspections.
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 businesses may be able to use the the FoodSmart Food Safety Program 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
Safe Food Victoria provides food safety program templates that you can tailor to your business.
- If your business is council‑registered class 2 retail or food service, use FoodSmart.
- If your business sells retail meat or seafood, use the templates below:
Retail meat food safety program template(opens in a new window)Word 750.51 KBRetail seafood food safety program template(opens in a new window)Word 759.58 KB
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