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FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS

All club delegates who attended at the HBA Annual General Meeting will be aware that new national food safety standards have been introduced which will have a very significant impact on the way bowling clubs handle, prepare, and serve food.

New food safety standards were introduced by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) on 8th December 2022.  In particular standard 3.2.2A which now requires businesses serving food to comply with strict record keeping rules, as well as having trained Food Safety Supervisors, and trained Food Handlers.

Attached is a link to the Food Safety site which provides an overview of the new laws.

https://blog.foodsafety.com.au/is-your-food-business-ready-for-3.2.2a

Compliance will be monitored by the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) at each local council.

The EHO from the Adelaide Hills Council has already communicated with a number of clubs to confirm that the law will apply to bowling clubs as Category 1 businesses.

Clubs will need to ensure that they have an accredited Food Safety Supervisor on the premises at all times when food is being handled, prepared, or served – and all people involved in the process must have an accreditation in Food Handling.  Significant and strict records will need to be maintained about a number of issues related to the receipt, storage, preparation, service and disposal of food, as well as checks and maintenance in regard to equipment used to prepare, store or cook food, or cleaning equipment.

Please note that a myriad of courses seem to be available online, HOWEVER, only courses which are:

  • Approved by the Australian Institute of Food Services, AND
  • Are a Nationally Recognised Training Course will be acceptable.   

The supervisors courses seem to range in price from about $99 to $199 – while the food handlers courses cost anywhere between $59 to $99.  They must bear the attached logos, and if the courses are significantly cheaper, it is probably because they do not comply.

This article is not intended to be comprehensive advice, it is merely to draw the new rules and requirements to the attention of each club.

IT REMAINS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH CLUB TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE – AND IF IN DOUBT, APPROPRIATE ENQUIRIES WILL NEED TO BE MADE WITH EITHER THE LOCAL COUNCIL OR AN APPROPRIATE FOOD SAFETY ORGANISATION.