This is the latest information for food businesses in the City of Greater Geelong.
Do you need to train or retrain your staff under 3.2.2A?
Standard 3.2.2A has introduced changes that affect staff serving or preparing food.
The standard comes into effect on 8 December 2023.
The Standard applies to food business who are defined as a category one or category two business in the Code. Victorian food businesses are not classified into categories but classes
(classes 1, 2, 3A, 3, and 4).
Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3A businesses will be impacted by these changes.
The Department of Health Victoria provides guidance that interprets the Standard for Victorian food businesses.
Food Handler Training
A food handler is a person who directly engages in the handling of food, or who handles surfaces likely to be into contact with food (such as crockery, utensils, cooking equipment and surfaces) for a food business. Therefore, anyone who is working or volunteering in a food business, even at ad hoc times, is considered a food handler.
Businesses need to ensure all food handlers have adequate skills and knowledge in food safety and hygiene in line with the work that they do.
The Standard requires that food handlers who handle high-risk foods complete a food safety training course in, or be able to show they understand, safe handling of food, food contamination, cleaning and sanitising equipment, and personal hygiene. It is recommended that businesses keep staff training records to easily demonstrate to authorised officers they have met the requirements of the food handler training.
Suitable training options include:
- Victorian Department of Health provided free, online food handler training course, DoFoodSafely, that covers the training required for Standard 3.2.2A. DoFoodSafely is available in eight languages.
- Food handler training through a registered training organisation,
- Development of training specific to your individual business, that all staff need to undertake and proof of completion is documented.
We also recommend, for those businesses making allergen free claims, or handling food with allergens, that food handlers complete All about allergens. This is another free training course. There are different versions available for different business types.
Food Safety Supervisor Training
The supervision of food handlers requires businesses to appoint a qualified Food Safety Supervisor. This person is required to:
- undertake specific training through a registered training organisation
- be in attendance in the business often enough to effectively oversee food safety.
The role of a Food Safety Supervisor is to:
- oversee the day-to-day food handling operations
- make sure food handlers are adequately trained in food safety associated with the business
- help food handlers to handle food safely and
- make sure food safety risks are managed.
Standard 3.2.2A requires that the Food Safety Supervisor for the business must have achieved certification within the previous five years.
There is a short-term exemption for Food Safety Supervisors in Victoria, who received their certification prior to 8 December 2023, this will give you five years from 8
December 2023 to re-certify.
Our officers will be asking for copies of certificates, when we inspect your premise, and we recommend you have them available in your business.
Class 1 businesses
The exemption may not apply to a Class 1 food businesses, as your training requirements are as per your Food Safety Programme. Your Food Safety Supervisor may be required to re-certify more frequently than 5 yearly.
Brief Overview Summary for Staff Training – this will be discussed in more detail at your food safety assessment.
| Classification |
Food Safety Supervisor |
Food Handlers |
| Please refer to your Food Act Registration Certificate if unsure of classification |
| Class 1 |
Required
As per your Food Safety Program |
Required
As per your Food Safety Program |
Class 2 - with a Food Safety Program *
(food service, food retail premises and caterers) |
Required
Refer to your Food Safety Program, you may be exempt
for five years if your Food Safety Supervisor is certified prior to 8 December
2023 |
Required |
Class 2 without a Food Safety Program *
(food service, food retail premises and caterers) |
Required
Exempt for five years if your Food Safety Supervisor is
certified prior to 8 December 2023 |
Required |
| Class 2 Manufacturers |
Required
Refer to your Food Safety Program, you may be exempt for five years if your Food Safety Supervisor is certified prior to
8 December 2023 |
Required |
| Class 3A |
Required
Exempt for five years if your Food Safety Supervisor is
certified prior to 8 December 2023 |
Exempt
Proprietors must ensure that people handling
food know how to do so safely. |
| Class 3 |
Exempt
Must ensure that people handling food know how to do so
safely. |
Exempt
Must ensure that people handling food know how
to do so safely. |
| Class 4 |
Exempt
Must ensure that people handling food know how to do so
safely. |
Exempt
Must ensure
that people handling food know how to do so safely. |
| One-off fundraising
activity solely for a community not-for-profit or charitable cause – such as a
sausage sizzle, market stall, fete |
Exempt
Must ensure that people handling food know how to do so
safely. |
Exempt
Must ensure that people handling food know how to do so
safely. |
Do you require a Food Safety Program?
* Class 2 food services and retail food premises are now exempt from the requirement to have a food safety program unless they are undertaking any of the following eight high-risk food handling activities.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- Preparation of ready-to-eat foods containing raw unshelled eggs (unpasteurised).
- Preparation of ready-to-eat raw or rare minced/finely chopped red meats.
- Preparation of ready-to-eat raw and rare poultry and game meats.
- 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.
- 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 involve the use of temperature control, to minimise the growth of pathogenic or toxigenic organisms in food, as described in Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 3.2.2.
If you require a Food Safety Program this may be:
If you are unsure, please contact us on 03 5272 5272 to discuss.
Record-keeping under 3.2.2A: Are you compliant?
Record-keeping requirements have changed for many food businesses under Standard 3.2.2A.
Substantiation of critical food safety controls in Standard 3.2.2A requires businesses to prove their food safety controls keep food safe.
This means that you must be able to show how you are meeting food safety in relation to temperature control, food processing (all processes you do in your business), cleaning and sanitising.
Food businesses who are required to have a Food Safety Program (see previous section) will need to follow that program, including keeping all records required in the program.
Food businesses who do not require a Food Safety Program must develop their own methods for demonstrating food safety controls are being met.
Businesses must be able to demonstrate to Environmental Health Officers how they manage food safety.
Examples of ways to show how a business manages food safety includes:
- Written or electronic record
- Making notes on invoices
- Taking photos
- Having written procedures for all processes that all food handlers follow
- Demonstrating and talking through food safety procedures onsite.
Standard 3.2.2A requires records to be kept for:
- food receipt
- food storage under temperature control
- for food handling where a process is required to make food safe to eat (for example: final cooking temperature, ph testing)
- food handling so that food remains at temperatures to prevent bacterial growth (2/4 hour rule)
- cooling of food
- reheating of food
- displaying food to prevent contamination
- transporting food
Unless your business can demonstrate these steps into some other way during a food safety compliance assessment with an Environmental Health Officer.
See Standard 3.2.2A Section 12 for more information.
The chart will help you to determine whether your business needs to demonstrate substantiation of critical food safety controls.
| Classification |
Substantiation of critical food safety controls required |
Where to find |
| Please refer to your Food Act Registration Certificate if unsure of classification |
| Class 1 |
Records which are part of your Food Safety Program |
Your Food Safety Program |
Class 2 - with a Food Safety Program *
(food service, food retail premises and caterers) |
Records which are
part of your Food Safety Program |
Your Food Safety Program
This could be:
- Independent Food Safety Program or
- FoodSmart Online
|
Class 2 -
without a Food Safety Program *
(food service, food retail premises and caterers) |
Required |
Develop methods and records appropriate to the food processes you use in your business. |
| Class 2 Manufacturers |
Required |
Your Food Safety Program
Food Recall Process required. |
| Class 3A |
Not Required |
Recommend that records are maintained to demonstrate compliance. |
| Class 3 |
Not Required |
Recommend that records are maintained to demonstrate compliance. |
| Class 4 |
Not Required |
Recommend that records are maintained to demonstrate compliance. |
| One-off fundraising activity solely for a community not-for-profit or charitable cause – such as a sausage sizzle, market stall, fete |
Not Required |
Recommend that records are maintained to demonstrate compliance. |
Need to know more...
For further information please visit:
FoodTrader
FoodTrader is the new state-wide on-line registration and notification portal for mobile and temporary food premises. This replaces Streatrader.
If you had a Streatrader account for your temporary or mobile food premise, you will need to activate your data in the new FoodTrader system.
To do this you will simply need to:
- Visit the Foodtrader website and select the Login button in the top right hand corner of the home screen
- On the sign in page
- Select Don’t have an account? Sign up now
- Enter the email address previously used to log into Streatrader
- Follow the prompts to set up your FoodTrader account.
FoodTrader cannot be used for the registration of fixed food premises at this time.
FoodTrader is not roadside trading.
Further information can be found on the FoodTrader website, in the FoodTrader user guide and on our FoodTrader - Mobile and temporary food registration page.
Renewal of Food Act Registration 2024
As you are aware your food business registration must be renewed by 31 December each year.
The renewal of Food Registrations is emailed to the registered proprietor. If you haven’t received your renewal notice/invoice yet, you will receive an email in the next couple
of weeks, please check your spam and junk folders and any other email address you may have registered with us for your business or organisation. Further details can be found on our Food and Health Renewal - what if I haven't received mine page.
Payment arrangements are the same as previous years and can be made by BPay, online by credit card, by mail or in person at our Customer Service Centres.
Most businesses pay by the due date. For those few who do not pay by the due date, Penalty Infringement Notices (fines) will be issued, or litigation proceedings will commence, resulting in significant fines. Money better off in your business!
Each year, your business has at least one inspection conducted, and these inspections allow us to assess the renewal fee for the following registration period. If you have constantly rated an A, B or C at these inspections then the base fee is payable – if you have scored CS, D, E or F then a performance fee will be added to the base fee.