Why Food Safety Programs are Important for Food Service in Aged Care

If your organisation provides food on a regular basis to elderly people receiving aged care, providing safe and healthy meals is of the utmost importance. This means having a up to date food safety training in place and a comprehensive food safety program, including a food safety supervisor.

Food safety can help protect the health of individuals who consume food prepared and served to high-risk people, like the elderly, who are more likely to succumb to food-borne illnesses. A Food Safety Supervisor course will go a long way toward helping your organisation remain in compliance with food safety standards. The Food Safety Supervisor course includes:

• HLTFSE001 Follow Basic Food Safety Practices
• HLTFSE005 Apply and Monitor Food Safety Requirements
• HLTFSE007 Oversee the Day-to-Day Implementation of Food Safety in the Workplace

A formal food safety program includes policies, procedures and training based on industry best practices. It should include proper storage and handling of foods, cleaning and sanitising practices, temperature control guidelines, personal hygiene requirements, pest management strategies and other measures designed to reduce health risks associated with consuming contaminated or undercooked foods. The program should also include documentation protocols to ensure that all areas are adequately monitored, and records kept up-to-date.

Having a written policy is not enough; it’s important that staff are properly trained in all aspects of the policy. This includes understanding potential health risks associated with food contamination, cooking temperatures needed to eliminate bacteria growth, methods of preventing cross-contamination and personal hygiene standards that must be maintained while preparing meals. Once staff are properly trained in the basics of food safety, they will be able to apply best practices when working with food daily.

The Importance of Food Safety in Aged Care
You and your team need to know the proper techniques and methods of food procurement, storage, preparation and how and when to serve it so that it is always safe to eat. Failure to do so puts your organisation at risk of harming the aged people to whom you serve food.

You also need to know how to comply with national food safety standards, which are covered by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)’s Standard 3.3.1. First and foremost, it ensures that all individuals who consume meals provided by an organisation do so safely without fear of contracting illnesses from contaminated or undercooked foods. Also, it can help mitigate legal risks associated with inadequate procedures or poor record keeping stemming from negligence related to meal preparation and service activities within an organisation’s operations.

By following industry best practices when establishing its own policies, procedures and training programs related to meal preparation activities within its operations, any business serving vulnerable persons can ensure that its customers receive safe meals prepared according to rigorous standards set forth by local authorities responsible for protecting public health from unsafe foods being served at establishments throughout the country where people rely on these services every day.

Having a trained supervisor on hand ensures that the most vulnerable population within the facility will not be needlessly exposed to food risk because of inexperienced or improperly trained staff. With proper training, you can better understand food safety principles and regulations and ensure the lowest possible risk to this vulnerable population.

To book training for your team, visit https://clubtraining.com.au/product/food-safety-supervisor-package/ and gain the qualification that allows you to manage food handling in QLD, NSW, VIC, WA, NT, & SA.