Food Standards Australia New Zealand has updated ‘Safe Food Australia: a guide to the food safety standards’, to incorporate the new Standard 3.2.2A Food safety management tools, which comes into effect in December 2023.
The Safe Food Australia guide covers the four mandatory food safety standards:
- Standard 3.1.1 Interpretation and Application
- Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements
- Standard 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools
- Standard 3.2.3 Food Premises and Equipment.
The fourth edition was recently released in February 2023. Although the guide is for government agencies who are responsible for enforcing the standards, food businesses and manufacturers will find it offers helpful information about the standards and food safety issues.
Safe Food Australia includes clarifications, examples and recommendations based on scientific evidence and industry best practice.
Food safety risks vary from business to business depending on the nature of the food business and the food handling operations undertaken, for example, factors such as inherent hazards in the food, the potential for contamination during food handling and how the food is processed contribute to food safety risks.
Information provided in Safe Food Australia highlights factors that may contribute to these risks at each step of the food handling process. Appendices also provide technical and practical information.
There are relevant examples that aim to highlight key principles and illustrate the intent of the requirements. However, they are examples only and the options provided are not exhaustive. There are also plenty of resources, references, and useful websites provided.
Click here to view the updated standards.