Food safety programs

Some food businesses will be require a Food Safety Program to manage high risk activities.

A Food Safety Program is a written plan which helps you control risks within your business.

Class 1 and some Class 2 food businesses must have a Food Safety Program to manage food safety risks.

Any Class 2 businesses that undertake any of the following high-risk food handling activities will require a Food Safety Program, if they prepare:

  1. Sous vide cooking, (cooking at less than 75 °C) where the food is cooked under controlled temperature and time conditions inside vacuum sealed packages in water baths or steam ovens.
  2. Any potentially hazardous food that does not involve temperature control to minimise the growth of pathogenic or toxigenic organisms as described in Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 3.2.2.
  3. Preparation of acidified/fermented foods or drinks that are ready to eat and have a high level of acidity required to keep food safe, acid may be naturally present or added or produced by the food (due to microbial activity).
  4. Preparation of ready-to-eat foods containing raw unshelled eggs (unpasteurised).
  5. Preparation of ready-to-eat raw or rare minced/finely chopped red meats.
  6. Preparation of ready-to-eat raw and rare poultry and game meats.
  7. Off-site catering where ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food is prepared or partially prepared in one location, transported to another location, where the food is served at a catering event.
  8. Any other complex food process activity such as:
  • Pasteurisation / thermal processing, where food is heated to a certain temperature for a specified time, to eliminate pathogenic organisms.
  • Packaging food where the oxygen has been removed and/or replaced with other gases for food safety or to increase shelf life of the food.
  • Any food processing activity which does not meet the requirements of Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 3.2.2.

Creating a Food Safety Program

1. Food Safety Program template

Some food businesses may use the FoodSmart website to create a standard food safety program. You will be required to answer questions. The answers will create your program to meet your business needs.

The full program may take time but if required, the program can be saved and continued at a later date. If your businesses food processes are not covered in the FoodSmart program, you will need to create a Third Party Audited Food Safety Program.

2. Third party audited food safety programs

The following businesses will require a Third Party Audited Food Safety Program

Class 1 businesses who provide food to vulnerable groups within the community, including:

  • nursing home kitchens
  • childcare centres
  • hospital kitchens

Class 2 businesses including cafés and restaurants that:

A Third Party Audited Food Safety Program is site specific and tailored to control the high-risk activities in your business.

An independent auditor must approve this independent program to verify that food safety controls are managing the high-risk activities.

All Third Party Audited Food Safety Program must be audited by DHS Food Safety Auditors.

Refer to the DHS Food Safety Auditors page for more information including a list of approved Auditors.

Learn more about food handling processes and how to handle food safely:

Food safety video

Further information

Health Protection
Phone: 03 8470 8658
Email: health@darebin.vic.gov.au

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