NZ Food Safety US 167 cheat sheet

Food safety law in New Zealand is administered under the Food Act 2014; businesses follow either a Food Control Plan (higher-risk) or a National Programme (lower-risk), and every worker must follow the plan or programme that applies to their site.

The four hazards to control are biological (bacteria, viruses, toxins), chemical (cleaning agents, allergens, pesticides), physical (glass, metal, plastic, stones) and allergen hazards; each control must be written into the site's plan.

Bacteria need moisture, food, warmth and time; the temperature danger zone is 5°C to 60°C, and the 2-hour/4-hour rule applies to ready-to-eat food: under 2 hours return to refrigeration, 2-4 hours use immediately, over 4 hours discard.

High-risk foods are those high in protein and moisture - cooked rice and pasta, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, and cut fruit or vegetables; they must be kept at or below 5°C or at or above 60°C.

Cook high-risk food so the thickest part reaches 75°C, or an equivalent time-temperature combination such as 70°C for 2 minutes; use a calibrated probe thermometer and clean and sanitise it between readings.

Cool cooked food from 60°C to 5°C within 2 hours, or within 6 hours using a two-stage process (60°C to 21°C in 2 hours, then 21°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours).

Clean means removing visible soil; sanitise means reducing microorganisms to a safe level. The two-step method is wash with hot water and detergent, then sanitise and air-dry - never towel-dry food-contact surfaces.

Handwashing uses soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds, drying with a single-use towel; hands must be washed before handling food, after the toilet, after handling raw meat or waste, and after coughing, sneezing or touching the face.

Workers must report to their supervisor any illness with vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat or jaundice, and any infected cut, boil or skin infection; exclusion from food handling follows the supervisor's or medical officer's direction.

Pests and cross-contamination are controlled by keeping raw and ready-to-eat food separated, storing raw food below cooked food, using colour-coded boards and utensils, and keeping doors, screens and waste areas closed and clean.

A food handler must not work around food while sick with vomiting or diarrhoea, and must wait 48 hours after symptoms stop before returning, unless a health officer or supervisor directs otherwise.

Personal hygiene requirements: clean uniform or apron, hair restrained, no jewellery on hands or wrists, no eating, drinking or smoking in food areas, and fingernails short and unpolished.

Record-keeping under a Food Control Plan includes temperature checks, cleaning and sanitising records, pest checks, staff training and corrective actions; records must be completed at the time of the check, not back-filled.

The FCP or National Programme must be available on site for staff and verifiers; a verifier visits at a frequency set by the plan's risk rating (typically 3-monthly to 12-monthly for FCPs, and annual or less for National Programmes).

Corrective action means: fix the problem, isolate or discard affected food, find the cause, record what was done, and tell the supervisor. Discarded food must be made unfit to eat (for example, denatured or covered with detergent) before disposal.

Allergen control: the eight common allergens plus sulphites must be declared; avoid cross-contact by using separate utensils, cleaning between products, and never substituting ingredients without checking the label and telling the supervisor.

Food must be stored off the floor, away from chemicals, and labelled with date and contents; use first-in-first-out stock rotation and check date marks - food past its use-by date must not be sold or served.

Receiving deliveries: check temperature (chilled food at 5°C or below, frozen food solid and below -15°C), packaging integrity, date marks and pest evidence; reject and record any delivery that fails.

A thermometer must be calibrated regularly, for example in an ice-slurry (0°C) and in boiling water (adjusted for altitude), or checked against a known accurate thermometer, and the check recorded.