Food Hygiene

This page is a useful resource for a wide range of topics that are relevant to Food Hygiene. Please select from the following:-

Domestic Food Review - Food Control Plans	Food Control Plan Resources
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority [NZFSA] is hoping the legislation that will introduce the new Food Control Plans, as well as new Food Hygiene Regulations, will be in place by the beginning of 2009. Six months after the legislation is in place, the Transition Process will commence. This will run for five years and each year different sorts of people will be advised that they must choose their Food Control Plan from pre-designed templates. For more information on these Templates visit the NZFSA website by clicking here. The majority of food businesses will go through the process within the first two to three years.	Resources for food businesses provided by the Council currently comprise the documents which were included within the Trial Food Control Plan that was demonstrated to businesses within a series of meetings held over 2007/2008. All 21 of these are available from the Publications page. Click here to access this page.
Food Hygiene for Voluntary Organisations ...	Information
Sale of Cheese Rolls Sale of Home Baked Cakes Sale of Home made Jam Sale of sweets and other confectionary Barbeques and sausage sizzles Buffets and high risk foods	Application Forms Some useful contacts

Food Control Plans are a new and different approach to regulating how food businesses will be operated in the future. Rather than having a rigid set of rules that are applied to all businesses throughout the country in the same way, these plans are customised according to the type of activity that is involved. Different plans will be produced for different food sectors.

How will they work?

Food Control Plans require there to be a Food Control Plan Manager always available, rather like a bar manager for licensed premises. There must also be arrangements to provide cover if a Manager is absent.

Managers are responsible for ensuring that all those people involved in the operation are trained in the plan and are properly supervised to ensure that they obey its requirements.

There is extensive record keeping that will have to be maintained. This is to prove that the plan is being properly complied with.

Who will have to have one?

Everyone who sells food will have to have a Food Control Plan. The only exceptions are where people can apply for Food Handling Guidance such as fundraising activities by community groups or people who provide meals with accommodation. There are separate rules which determine eligibility for such Guidance. The Council can give advise on this upon requested. Many groups and societies sell food, either as a direct sale or as an inclusion within a ticket price and this system has been in place in a similar format for many years.

How much will they cost?

Food Control Plans will have to registered each year and the inspections/audits will also be charged for. Food Handling Guidance should be hopefully available free of charge. At this stage it is not predictable how much registration and audit fees will cost. There will in all likelihood be additional fees for any re-visits that are made to confirm that infringements ahve been corrected.

How will they be audited?

The current inspection system merely involves an Environmental Health Officer calling unannounced and touring the premises. There are no records that are required to be kept and it is not normal to question staff as to how they work.

Questioning staff as to working practices to confirm awareness of the Food Control Plan

The three stages are necessary to prove that the plan is being properly implemented. It is a more exhaustive process and it is designed to identify any areas where the plan is not being adhered to. In the event of any problems being identified infringements can be required to be corrected or an audit can be considered to have failed. Under these circumstances the frequency of audit can be reduced so that they are conducted more frequently. This will add more compliance costs to the operation.

The new legislation will also bring additional powers for Councils to issue formal notices. Prosecution powers will remain and at some time in the future NZFSA has indicated that it intends to introduce Premises Grading on a national basis.