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Thermometers

Thermometers If you're a food business that handles potentially hazardous food, it's important to use a thermometer to check your food is at the right temperature to be sure it is safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses that handle potentially hazardous food need to have an accurate and accessible thermometer. This means:

  • there is at least one thermometer somewhere easy to get to (e.g. in an unlocked drawer in the kitchen)
  • the thermometer is accurate to within 1°C.
Which thermometer is best?
  • A digital probe thermometer is usually best for measuring food temperatures. They are inexpensive and are available from…

    Published 22 May 2025

Preventing spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases

Preventing spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases The Food Standards Code requires food businesses to take all practicable steps to prevent contamination of their food service or processing environment. The best ways to prevent the spread of contagious diseases such as COVID-19 or foodborne illnesses are for everyone to maintain effective hygiene practices. Effective hygiene Maintaining effective hygiene includes:

  • regular handwashing
  • cleaning and sanitising facilities and equipment
  • maintaining strict requirements around worker health and hygiene.
Everyone in the community has an obligation to stay home while they have any symptoms such as fever or coughing. Businesses have the right to refuse service and insist that anyone with these symptoms leaves…

Published 22 May 2025

Home-based food businesses

Home-based food businesses If you're a home-based food business, you need to meet the same food safety requirements as other food businesses - regardless of the size of your business or how often you sell food.  Am I a home-based food business? Home-based food businesses use their home (or someone else's) to handle food for sale. This includes preparing food for local markets or school canteens, catering for events, B&Bs, farm-stay or childcare businesses and online food sales from home. What are the requirements? Home-based businesses must comply with relevant parts of the Food Standards Code, including:

Health and hygiene - advice for food handlers

Health and hygiene - advice for food handlers Making sure you don't contaminate food through illness or unclean habits is important to keep food safe to eat.

Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, you need to ensure food is safe and suitable to eat. Be clean and careful It's easy to practise good hygiene and make it a good habit. Always ensure you're:
  • washing your hands with soap and drying them thoroughly
  • stopping hair, clothes, jewellery or phone touching food or surfaces - for example tie your hair back, remove loose jewellery, cover open sores
  • not touching ready-to-eat food with your bare hands - use tongs or gloves
  • wearing…

    Published 22 May 2025

Health and hygiene - advice for food businesses

Health and hygiene - advice for food businesses If you're a food business, making sure no-one contaminates your food because of illness or unclean habits is important to keep food safe to eat. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses need to do whatever they can to make sure no-one on their premises contaminates food. Under Standard 3.2.3 - Food Premises and Equipment, businesses need to provide staff with hand washing facilities, toilets and storage space for personal belongings. Reduce your risk

  • only food handlers should be in food preparation or packing areas
  • if…

    Published 22 May 2025

Food packaging

Food packaging If you're a food business, it's important to know what types of packaging are safe to use with your food products. What are the requirements? Under Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, food businesses must:

  • only use packaging material that is fit for its intended purpose
  • only use material that is not likely to cause food contamination
  • ensure there is no likelihood that the food may become contaminated during the packaging process.
What are the risks? Packaging can potentially make food unsafe or unsuitable, for example if:
  • something contaminates food during the packaging process
  • harmful microorganisms get into food from dirty or damaged packaging…

    Published 22 May 2025

Food traceability

Food traceability Being able to track food through all stages of production, processing and distribution will make it easier and quicker for you to recall it if something goes wrong. What are the requirements? Traceability requirements are listed under the following standards:

What does it mean for me?
  • You should know the details about the food on your premises…

    Published 22 May 2025

Mobile food business

Mobile food business If you're a mobile food business, you need to meet the same food safety requirements as other food businesses, regardless of the size of your business or how often you sell food.  Am I a mobile food business? Mobile food businesses use food premises designed to be permanent but movable, including: 

  • food vans, trucks, trailers, bicycles, boats, planes and portable buildings (e.g. shipping containers)
  • vehicles used for on-site food preparation (e.g. hamburgers, hot dogs and kebabs, coffee, juices, popcorn and fairyfloss), and the sale of any type of food including prepackaged food. 
Food vending machines may be considered mobile premises in some areas - check with your council. Vehicles only used to transport food are not…

Published 22 May 2025

Standard 3.2.2A- Food safety management tools

Standard 3.2.2A- Food safety management tools Food service, caterer and related retail businesses in Australia need to meet food safety requirements that came in December 2023.  What is Standard 3.2.2A?

  • Standard 3.2.2.A is a national food safety standard and an extension of Standard 3.2.2 requirements.
  • It applies to Australian businesses in food service, catering and retail sectors that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous food that is ready to eat.
  • Generally, these include caterers, restaurants, cafes, takeaway shops, pubs, supermarkets and delis, food vans and other facilities serving food.
  • These businesses will implement either two or three food safety management tools, based on their food handling activities. The three tools…

    Published 22 May 2025

Temporary food premises

Temporary food premises If your business sells food at temporary events like markets, you need to meet the same food safety requirements as other food businesses, regardless of the size of your business or how often you sell food.  What are temporary food premises? Temporary food premises are structures that are:

  • used to sell food at occasional events like a fete, market or show
  • dismantled after the event, like a stall, tent or barbeque stand.
They can also include parts of structures or land, and permanent structures not owned or leased by the business and used occasionally (e.g. a community hall). What are the requirements?
  • Food businesses using temporary premises must comply with the Food Standards Code, including:
  • …

    Published 22 May 2025