Food safety

In Hamilton there are approximately 760 food businesses. These range from sports clubs, to fruit and vege shops, corner dairies/superettes, takeaways, delicatessens, eatinghouses, through to restaurants, supermarkets and manufacturing premises. Council's annual Food Safety Awards provide an indication to customers of the standard of food safety they can expect at premises that have achieved the award.

Food Control Plans

Food service (restaurants, takeaways, etc) and catering businesses now have an opportunity to register a Food Control Plan. These plans will become a legal requirement with the upcoming Food Act.

• Refer to the NZFSA website, www.nzfsa.govt.nz to view a Food Control Plan.

Quick Links

• Food Safety Awards
• Food Safety Law
• Food Control Plans
• Registraton as a Food Premises
• Responsibilities Placed on Food Business Owners
• Food Premises Inspections
• Risk Assessment of Food Businesses
• Enforcement, Offences and Penalties
• Training in Food Safety

Food Safety Awards

The Food Safety Award initiative recognises those operators who maintain a standard of excellence in their premises above the standard required by legislation. This year was the 15th year the awards have been held, with an awards function taking place on Wednesday, 28 October 2009.

This year, 136 Hamilton food businesses have received a 2009 Food Safety Award - with 76 businesses receiving excellence awards (equivalent to an A grading) and 60 businesses receiving merit awards (equivalent to a B grading). To mark the fact that it is the 15th year the awards have been held, of the 76 businesses that received an excellence award, seven received distinction awards for maintaining an excellent standard for seven years or more.

In addition, an excellence award category for the top Food Safety Student at Wintec's School of International Tourism, Hospitality and Events was presented - with Samantha Jeffries receiving the award for academic achievement and coursework, excellent kitchen hygiene standards and exemplary attendance.

The winners of the 2009 Food Safety Awards are:

The Food Safety Award initiative annually rewards those operators who maintain a standard of excellence in their premises above the standard required by legislation. The awards started as an outcome of Council's Environmental Health Unit's risk assessment system being applied to food businesses in Hamilton.

The risk assessment system evaluates:

• The premises' physical environment
• Food preparation
• Handling practices
• Cleaning/sanitising procedures
• Staff training

Anyone who achieves high scores in each of these areas will be eligible for the award. Final selection is based on the premises and operator history.

A second level of award, introduced a few years ago, recognises the achievement of a secondary level of food businesses that have maintained a high standard of food safety.

Food Safety Law

Legislation is necessary to protect the health of customers. It helps ensure that all food businesses meet requirements that will enable them to produce and sell safe food. Legislation that presently applies to food businesses in Hamilton is the Food Act 1981 and the Food Hygene Regulations 1974.

The Act is concerned with the sale of food that is fit to eat. The Regulations specify conditions that have to be met if food is to be produced for sale. They also detail practices that the business owner ('the occupier') must follow to prevent food contamination, food poisoning and the spread of communicable disease.

• Main legislative requirements
• Registration as a food premises
• Responsibilities placed on food business owners
• Food premises inspections
• Risk assessment of food businesses
• Food Safety Award
• Enforcement, offences, penalties
• Training in food safety

For more information contact:

Business Support
Ground Floor, Council Offices
Garden Place
Hamilton City Council
Private Bag 3010
Hamilton 3240
Phone: 838 6633
Fax: 838 6445

• Email

Registration as a Food Premises

A person wishing to process and/or sell food must have a food premises registered with Council. There are physical requirements that a food premises must have before Council can register it. These requirements relate to the finishes of floors, walls, and ceilings; and the provision of adequate lighting, ventilation and space, wash hand basins, sinks, hot and cold water, toilet accommodation and changing facilities.

Once a food premises is registered, the certificate of registration must be conspicuously displayed in a public part of the premises. For more information about getting started in the food business and what is required read the following pamphlet:

• Getting started in the food business (2007) PDF (215KB)

Main Legislative Requirements

The main requirements of the Regulations are:

• The food premises must be registered with Council in the name of the person who owns the business. This is renewed annually
• The food premises must be in good repair and must be equipped with certain facilities such as hand wash basin, hot water and readily cleaned surfaces. Council can not register the food premises if these requirements are not met
• The food premises must be well maintained and be kept clean and tidy at all times. It must be kept free from vermin and insects
• All equipment used on the food premises must be in good condition and must be kept clean. Work surfaces, cutting boards, slicers, knives and similar tools are all to be cleaned regularly and sanitised at the end of every working day
• All food must be handled and stored in ways that keeps it free from contamination, and which prevent the growth of bacteria
• People working on the premises must be clean and wear suitable protective clothing over their normal clothes. Long hair must be tied up. All food handlers must understand when to wash their hands and to wash them regularly.

Responsibilities Placed on Food Business Owners

Every food business owner - 'the occupier' - must:

• Ensure that the premises are now registered in their name with Council
• Ensure that the Regulations are compiled within every aspect
• Supervise employed staff and family members to ensure that they follow good food safety practices and do not compromise food safety requirements in the business
• Ensure that food will not become contaminated from any source on the premises, including persons, clothing, equipment, cleaning products, animals, and refuse
• Not sell any food that is unfit for human consumption
• Not sell any food containing anything that is harmful, dangerous, or offensive
• Not sell any food in packaging made of material that may contaminate food.

Food Premises Inspections

Hamilton City Council employs Environmental Health Officers to inspect food premises and to ensure compliance with the law.

Environmental Health Officers have the power to:

• Inspect any place where food is manufactured or kept for sale
• Examine and buy samples of any food
• Open and examine any receptacle or package containing food
• Seize or detain any article believed to contravene food law
• At any time seize and destroy any food that is decayed, putrefied or otherwise unfit for human consumption
• Arrange for the closure of a food premises until it complies with the requirements of the Regulations
• Prosecute the food business for failing to comply with the requirements of food law.

Risk Assessment of Food Businesses

The risk assessment system provides a system of objectively rating food businesses according to calculated public health risk and compliance with legislation, and to provide a basis for an inspection regime based on this risk. It assesses:

• The physical environment of the premises
• The manner in which food is manufactured, prepared, packed, stored, and sold on or from the premises
• The effectiveness of cleaning in the premises
• The proportion of staff that have completed an approved course in basic food safety
• The type of food being handled on the premises and the manner in which it is processed.

Enforcement, Offences and Penalties

If found guilty of an offence, the owner ('occupier') of a food business may face penalties that could include imprisonment for up to three months or a fine of up to $3000 on each count where the offence is committed knowingly, or a fine of up to $1000 on each count in any other case.

Training in Food Safety

Knowledge about the principles of food safety is essential - particularly when there are perishable foods involved. Many incidences of food poisoning arise from the mishandling of foods due to lack of awareness of basic food safety principles.

There is more to food safety than a lot of people realise. It includes issues such as:

• Time/temperature control
• Cleaning and sanitising
• Pest control
• Personal hygiene
• Environmental control
• Cross-contamination
• Lethal processing methods
• Refuse storage and disposal
• Food storage and protection
• Condition of appliances.

It is well documented that a hazard exists in a food business where management and staff do not have a substantial knowledge or awareness of the basic principles of food safety.

Duty of occupiers

Environmental Health Officers routinely carry out inspections of food businesses throughout the year. The health officer makes an assessment of food safety matters as they exist at the time of inspection.

They are, however, there for a very brief period of time and this is why there is a legal obligation on the business owner to prepare and sell safe food. Hence the importance of having at least a basic knowledge of food safety.

You have a responsibility to keep your customers safe, and training provides you with the basic knowledge and skills you need to work safely with food.

Training

Training is about providing knowledge, attitudes, and skills which are complementary to jobs and tasks.

Council strongly recommends that staff who handle perishable foods attend one of these courses.

For information about training courses in Food Safety contact us on 838 6633 or one of the local providers:

• Wintec
• NZQA Food Safety course providers
• NZQA Food Safety courses
• Liquor Licensing Bureau

Recognition of training

Hamilton City Council recognises attendance at formal courses of training in its risk assessment programme. Businesses where the food manager/supervisor, along with at least 75% of staff involved in the manufacture, preparation and/or handling of food, have attended a course of training will achieve a lower risk factor.

Food businesses that achieve the level of training stated above, and also maintain a high level of food hygiene, will be considered for our Food Safety Award (other criteria apply). This award is a formal recognition of excellence in food safety, and is given to a number of food businesses every year at a formal award ceremony.

Contact

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Environmental Health
Ground Floor, Council Offices
Garden Place
Hamilton City Council
Private Bag 3010
Hamilton 3240
Phone: 838 6633
Fax: 838 6445

• Email