Back to: Food Handler Basics Training
NSW Food Authority | Food Handler Basics
Australians enjoy great food, and we produce some of the highest quality and freshest food in the world.
Australian food safety laws state food sold must be safe to eat, as described, and free from contamination.
Even the best food in the world can turn nasty if poorly handled, stored or cooked.
Once the food is in your hands, it’s up to you to keep it safe to eat.
In this module you will learn how to describe the responsibilities of food handlers.
You will be able to explain:
- Food Safety
- Unsafe and unsuitable food
- What happens if food is unsafe, unsuitable, or not as described
What is Food Safety?
Food safety is ensuring food is safe to eat.
As food safety is so important, there are laws about how a food handler should handle food.
Food handlers must not handle food in a way that will make it unsuitable or unsafe to eat.
Unsafe, unsuitable and not accurately described food
- Unsafe
- Food is unsafe if eating it could cause physical harm. This does not include allergic reactions.
- Unsuitable
- Food is unsuitable if it is damaged, deteriorated, perished or contains a foreign object.
- Not accurately described
- Food that is not accurately described may be dangerous for some consumers, for example, food containing an allergen.
Food can be unsafe, unsuitable or not as described due to:
- Contamination
- Poor hygiene practices
- Poor handling practices
- Incorrect storage
- Undeclared allergens
- Incorrect labelling
- Lack of training
Selling unsafe, unsuitable or not accurately described food, could lead to:
- Illness or death
- Investigation and penalties
- Court cases and bad publicity
- Closure of the business with loss of jobs
Roles of a food handler
Remember
Food handlers must have the right skills and knowledge to keep food safe in their workplace, such as cleaning and sanitising equipment correctly.
Having the right knowledge means understanding food safety and knowing what must be done to keep food safe.
© State of New South Wales through the NSW Food Authority www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au
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