Health & Hygiene Requirements for Food Businesses (Show all)

Does the food business take practical measures to ensure all people within the food business avoid contaminating food? [3.2.2 Cl18]

Guidance		Standard 3.2.2 cl 18 (3)(b) requires that food businesses must take all practical measures to ensure people on the food premises do not contaminate food or processing areas and do not have unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food. Ready-to-eat food is vulnerable to contamination, as it will not be further processed to make it safe and suitable before it is consumed. The following reasonable measures should be considered: where possible, restrict all persons except food handlers from areas where food handling takes place; and where persons have a legitimate reason for being in these areas, supervise these people as far as practical to ensure they do not handle, sneeze, blow or cough over, or eat over exposed food or surfaces likely to come into contact with food.
Non-compliance	Minor	The food business is not (where possible) restricting access to areas where exposed food or food contact surfaces are present to food handlers only. E.g. (1) staff working in a large club are not restricted from entering the food preparation area when working shifts not assigned to the kitchen such as reception staff; (2) failing to ensure non-food handlers are supervised when entering areas when ready-to-eat food is handled, e.g. delivery persons delivering food inside the kitchen unsupervised.
	Major	A food handler has unnecessary direct contact with ready-to-eat food. E.g. food handler uses hands to handle ingredients used to make a ready-to-eat sandwich when they could use tongs and/or a gloved hand. The business is not taking practical measures to ensure people do not smoke within a food handling area or over food contact surfaces. E.g. an ashtray is provided within the back of house or storage area for staff use.
	Critical	A food handler has direct contact with ready-to-eat foods when their hands will likely be a source of contamination. E.g. a food handler handles ready-to-eat foods after handling raw foods such as meats (without washing their hands). Food handlers are not changing gloves or washing hand regularly or once contaminated. Food handlers or front of house staff eating over unprotected ready to eat food. E.g. front of house staff eating hot chips and gravy over the food service Bain Marie.