Practise food safety methods in a food business

Based on NZQA 167 This unit standard is for all people working, or preparing to work, in a food business, and includes a basic understanding of practices that result in safe food. People credited with this unit standard are able to: maintain effective personal hygiene when working with food as per establishment requirements; prevent cross contamination in a food business; and measure, record, and act on temperature of high risk food.


 * Library of Resources
 * Learning Activities

This unit is used in the following courses

 * Cookery

Maintain effective personal hygiene when working with food as per establishment requirements.
Range: body – hands and nails clean, nail enamel removed, jewellery removed, hair contained. Range: unhygienic activities may include – visit to the toilet, smoking, nose blowing, handling rubbish, handling money, handling chemicals, handling raw food. Range: illness must include but is not limited to – vomiting, diarrhoea, sinus infections, colds and flu, Hepatitis A. Range: habits practised may include – use of disposable gloves, use of tongs, sampling food with clean utensils, use of hygienic hand drying facilities. Range: habits – scratching, touching hair, touching nose, touching mouth, spitting.
 * Body, clothing, and footwear are clean and prepared for work, before, and during, working with food, according to establishment requirements.
 * Hands and nails are cleansed after carrying out unhygienic activities.
 * Skin conditions that may cause contamination, including cuts and open wounds, are effectively covered.
 * Effective ways for dealing with illness that may cause contamination of food are explained in terms of establishment requirements.
 * Work habits that prevent contamination are identified and practised according to establishment requirements.
 * Personal habits that may cause contamination are identified and not practised.

Prevent cross contamination in a food business
Range: handling method must include but is not limited to – received, stored, food preparation, transferred. Range: pests – insects, rodents, domestic animals, birds.
 * Work area and equipment are maintained in a clean and sanitised condition using correct cleaning procedures in accordance with establishment requirements, with cleaning agents prepared and used to manufacturers’ instructions.
 * Food items are maintained within expiry date and handled under conditions to prevent contamination, appropriate for food type.
 * Rubbish is removed and stored in covered containers in designated areas in accordance with establishment requirements.
 * Pests are identified and operational procedures to prevent infestation are explained in terms of establishment requirements.

Measure, record, and act on temperature of high risk food
Range: conditions – uncooked, cooked, re-heated. Range: high risk food – uncooked, cooked, re-heated.
 * Critical limits for temperature and time in different conditions are identified and explained in accordance with establishment requirements and legislation.
 * Thermometers are used to measure temperature of high risk food, and the measurements are recorded in accordance with establishment requirements.
 * If necessary, corrective action is taken and/or reported to comply with establishment requirements and legislation.