Practise food safety methods in a food business

Here is an axample image aligned to the right

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.

• Body, clothing, and footwear are clean and prepared for work, before, and during, working with food, according to establishment requirements.

Range: body – hands and nails clean, nail enamel removed, jewellery removed, hair contained.

• Hands and nails are cleansed after carrying out unhygienic activities.

Range: unhygienic activities may include – visit to the toilet, smoking, nose blowing, handling rubbish, handling money, handling chemicals, handling raw food.

• 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.

Range: illness must include but is not limited to – vomiting, diarrhoea, sinus infections, colds and flu, Hepatitis A.

• Work habits that prevent contamination are identified and practised according to establishment requirements.

Range: habits practised may include – use of disposable gloves, use of tongs, sampling food with clean utensils, use of hygienic hand drying facilities.

• Personal habits that may cause contamination are identified and not practised.

Range: habits – scratching, touching hair, touching nose, touching mouth, spitting.

Prevent cross contamination in a food business

• 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.

Range: handling method must include but is not limited to – received, stored, food preparation, transferred.

• 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.

Range: pests – insects, rodents, domestic animals, birds.

Measure, record, and act on temperature of high risk food

• Critical limits for temperature and time in different conditions are identified and explained in accordance with establishment requirements and legislation.

Range: conditions – uncooked, cooked, re-heated.

• Thermometers are used to measure temperature of high risk food, and the measurements are recorded in accordance with establishment requirements.

Range: high risk food – uncooked, cooked, re-heated.

• If necessary, corrective action is taken and/or reported to comply with establishment requirements and legislation.