Food Safety Toolbox

Listeria monocytogenes grows over a wide range of environmental conditions commonly found in meat and dairy products and processing plants and operations, though it grows only slowly, if at all, when the pH of the product is low. The following table provides the range of growing conditions in foods for Listeria monocytogenes:

There are 3 reasons why L. monocytogenes is a very robust organism in the dairy environment. First, it can grow in refrigeration storage; secondly, it is salt tolerant and, thirdly, it grows well in vacuum packs. It becomes a problem in ripened soft cheeses because moulds break down proteins to amines, which give ripened cheeses their distinctive odours. However, amines are basic compounds that raise the pH of the cheese and give Listeria a competitive advantage. In harder cheeses it doesn’t have this advantage because the pH remains low.

Guidance on the application of microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in RTE food’, Food Standards Australia New Zealand

‘Listeria monocytogenes – management in dairy factories’, Dairy Food Safety Victoria

‘Detecting Sources of Listeria monocytogenes in the Ready-To-Eat Food Processing Environment’, Kornacki, J.L.

Approved Auditors

Approved Auditors 2020-2021

Training

Webinar #2 – Professor Tom Ross – Early Milk Collection Index (EMCI) Presentation

Webinar #1 – Shelf-life Validation

‘Are you trade ready’ – a self-assessment tool to identify if you’re ready to commence as a dairy processor

Food recall training – This course has been developed by Safe Food Queensland with federal funding from the Package Assisting Small Exporters (PASE) program and is available to all dairy processors throughout Australia, free of charge

Microbiological testing in dairy manufacturing

Understanding food safety programs
The course, developed by Dairy Food Safety Victoria, Safe Food Queensland and Dairy Australia, is ideal for you and your staff as a refresher or to better understand the need for a food safety program. You should also consider using the course for the induction of new staff. This course covers:

What a food safety program is & why your business needs one
How to use a food safety program to manage food safety risks in your business
The 3 main elements of a food safety program
What to include in the Company Overview section
What pre-requisite programs are and how they underpin the principles of HACCP
The 7 principles of HACCP
Identifying hazards and critical control points in your business

This course is FREE for all dairy manufacturers in Australia and takes approximately 2 hours to complete (though it can be paused and resumed at any time). People can register here on the Dairy Manufacturing Resource Centre website. A certificate will be issued with a completion certificate recognised by all States and territories, and the Commonwealth Government. Note that if you have previously registered for other courses on this site then you won’t need to register again.

Dairy Australia Webinar Library – offers over 200 webinars that have been developed to upskill Australian dairy manufacturers. The webinars cover all areas of dairy manufacture including – Cheese, Cleaning & Sanitation, Dairy Microbiology, Emerging Technologies & Processes, Food Safety, Fresh Dairy, Ice Cream, Market Insights & Business Development, Milk, Process Optimisation, Product Development, and Sustainability.

Labelling

Guide to labelling requirements – Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Guide to Food Labelling and Food Composition requirements – SA Health