Food safety is an important part of the food industry, especially with regard to the safety and protection of consumers and staff alike. The food industry in Queensland, in particular, is required to follow the regulations established by the Food Act 2006.
In line with these regulations, all food businesses in the Queensland state are required to hire or appoint a Food Safety Supervisor QLD to legally operate. This position is a requirement; any food business running without a Food Safety Supervisor is liable for legal or civil actions, and as such it is ideal for food businesses to have a Food Safety Supervisor appointed or hired before the start of operations.
The Food Safety Supervisor role, in turn, requires training and certification. The Food Safety Supervisor training and certification can be attained through Registered Training Organisations, or RTOs, which can deliver the course training through face-to-face or online classes. These classes have a proscribed completion window, within which the course student must complete their course classes to qualify for certification. If the student passes their assessments successfully, they will be issued with a copy of their certificate.
The Food Safety Supervisor role involves many responsibilities that the course training will outline and educate the student on. These responsibilities include being aware of the legal obligations of a food business with regards to existing legislation regarding food safety standards.
Below are a few examples of Food Safety Supervisor responsibilities:
Complete food safety monitoring processes and documents as per food safety programs
A Food Safety Supervisor is tasked with making and implementing food safety programs. In line with this requirement, the Food Safety Supervisor is also tasked with the quality assurance of these programs – that is, that they have the proper documentation and monitoring process flows to ensure that the food safety programs are followed correctly.
An example of this is creating and maintaining a record of food safety guidelines that must be followed daily. The Food Safety Supervisor must be reasonably present during operation hours to answer any possible questions regarding these processes and documents, as well.
Identify and report practices inconsistent with the food safety program
While the Food Safety Supervisor does not necessarily have a supervisory role, they are given a level of authority regarding the monitoring and assessing of wrongful practice of food safety processes. Regardless of whether or not an employee or staff knowingly malpractices food safety or food hygiene, the Food Safety Supervisor must report these malpractices to the immediate supervisor or the business proprietor.
They may also escalate their reports to local councils, in the event of non-action from the managerial authorities in charge of the offending party or parties, as is their responsibility as Food Safety Supervisors.
Take corrective actions for food hazards that cannot be avoided.
There will always be instances when the food in stock or preparation are not of a quality that should be consumed, much less served to patrons. In these situations, it’s the responsibility of the Food Safety Supervisor to correct the situation, either by removing the cause of the food hazard or removing the compromised foodstuff or staff from the scenario. The Food Safety Supervisor must also take steps to resolve the incident, along with adequately documenting the event and the actions that were made to address it.
These responsibilities are only a few that a Food Safety Supervisor should be capable of handling or managing within a food business. Call CTA Training Specialists today on 07 3878 7291 – we have the answers you’re looking for.
Or do you need help with you food safety program? The team at DWS Hospitality Specialists can formulate one for you.
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