SITXFSA006 Safe Food Handling cheat sheet

A food safety program is a documented system that identifies hazards, sets controls, and specifies monitoring and corrective actions for each food handling step.

The program must be available at the premises, kept current, and accessible to all food handlers, including temporary and casual staff.

Food handlers must follow the program, report food safety hazards, and complete required training before handling food.

A hazard is any biological, chemical, or physical agent in food that can cause illness or injury; biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Critical control points (CCPs) are steps where control must be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.

Monitoring involves scheduled checks (e.g., temperature logs) to confirm controls are working; corrective action is taken when a check fails.

Records such as temperature logs, cleaning schedules, and training records must be kept for the period required by law and made available for inspection.

The program must be reviewed regularly and whenever a change occurs (new menu, equipment, or process) to ensure controls remain effective.

The temperature danger zone is 5°C to 60°C; potentially hazardous food must be kept outside this range to limit bacterial growth.

Cold storage must keep food at 5°C or below; frozen storage must keep food frozen solid, typically at -18°C or below.

Hot food must be held at 60°C or above until served.

Store raw meat, poultry, and seafood below ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination from drips.

Use the FIFO (first in, first out) principle: rotate stock so older items are used before newer deliveries.

Date-label prepared, opened, or portioned food with the preparation date and use-by date; discard food past its use-by date.

Store food in clean, covered, food-grade containers; never store food in containers that previously held chemicals.

Keep storage areas clean, dry, well ventilated, and free of pests; store food at least 15 cm off the floor and away from walls.

Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before handling food, after using the toilet, after handling raw food, and after touching the face or phone.

Thoroughly clean and sanitise all food contact surfaces, utensils, and equipment before and after use.

Use separate chopping boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.

Cook potentially hazardous food to a core temperature of at least 75°C; poultry, minced meat, and stuffed foods must reach 75°C.

Cool cooked food rapidly: from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, and from 21°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours.

Reheat food to at least 75°C and reheat only once; do not reheat food more than once.

Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator at 5°C or below, under running water, or in a microwave immediately before cooking; never thaw at room temperature.

Food handlers must not work with food if suffering from vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, or infected skin lesions, and must report these conditions to their supervisor.

Single use items (e.g., cutlery, straws, cups, gloves) must be stored in a clean, dry, covered container to prevent contamination.

Do not reuse single use items; discard after one use.

Handle single use items by the handle or outer surface only; never touch the food contact surface.

Single use items must be made of food-grade material and must not be damaged, cracked, or contaminated.

When providing single use items to customers, present them so that customers can take them without touching the food contact surfaces of other items.

Dispose of used single use items promptly in designated bins to prevent contamination of food and surfaces.

Cleaning removes visible dirt and food residues; sanitising reduces microorganisms on surfaces to a safe level.

The two-step process is: clean with detergent and water, then sanitise with a food-safe sanitiser (e.g., chlorine-based or quaternary ammonium) at the correct concentration.

Sanitiser concentration and contact time must follow the manufacturer's instructions; for chlorine, typically 100–200 ppm for food contact surfaces.

Clean and sanitise food contact surfaces before and after each use, and more frequently during continuous use.

Clean up spills immediately and clean floors, walls, and bins regularly to prevent pest attraction.

Pests are controlled by sealing entry points, storing food in sealed containers, removing waste promptly, and regular pest inspections.

Cleaning equipment (cloths, mops, brushes) must be cleaned after use and stored dry to prevent bacterial growth.

A cleaning schedule must specify what is cleaned, how often, by whom, and with what chemicals, and must be signed off when completed.

Food that is unsafe (e.g., past use-by date, contaminated, or temperature abused) must be discarded and not served.

Discarded food must be placed in designated, covered waste bins lined with a plastic bag.

Waste bins must be emptied regularly and kept clean and sanitised to prevent pests and odours.

Food waste must not be stored near food preparation or storage areas.

Waste oil must be stored in sealed containers and disposed of through approved recycling services; never pour oil down drains.

Hands must be washed after handling waste or waste bins.

Record the disposal of unsafe food in a log where required by the food safety program.