Since December 2023, most Category 1 and 2 food businesses* require a Food Safety Supervisor by law (Food Standard 3.2.2A) to be available during their hours of operation.
Category 1 businesses include restaurants, cafes, takeaway food shops, caterers, hospitals, childcare centres, family daycares, bakeries, mobile food vendors, market stalls, supermarkets and service stations that make and serve food.
Category 2 businesses include supermarkets, delis, service stations, seafood retailers, market stalls, and convenience stores.
Food Safety Supervisors contribute to the food business in many ways. They can:
Play a Pivotal Role in a Food Business
Food safety is the foundation of a successful food business. A Food Safety Supervisor’s purpose is to optimise food safety in a business, building it into work practices to improve efficiency and prevent cases of food-borne illness in consumers.
In 2006, OzFoodNet estimated that 5.4 million cases of food-borne illnesses occur each year in Australia, costing an estimated $1.2 billion per annum.
As Australia has some of the most stringent food safety laws in the world, employing someone who can decode and apply these laws practically to your business is vital.
Use Skills and Training to Protect and Improve a Food Business
To become a Food Safety Supervisor in Australia, you must undertake a Food Safety Supervisor Course.
Once you have completed the course, you will become fully qualified as a Food Safety Supervisor. You will receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment demonstrating your knowledge and expertise.
Food Safety Supervisors can use the knowledge from this course to:
protect consumers from food-borne illnesses
manage physical, chemical and biological hazards in the workplace to protect workers
train and supervise staff in the safe preparation of food
devise a food safety program to improve workplace efficiency
build a food safety plan in alignment with australian law, tailored for the organisation
ensure that all deliveries from suppliers are safe and stored correctly
serve as a point of contact for local government
prepare the business for the event of a food safety emergency
Incorporating food safety management into your everyday business will improve productivity, increase efficiency, and reduce waste.
Most importantly, having an employee trained as a Food Safety Supervisor will provide assurance of your organisation's quality to consumers.
* Note for NSW: In New South Wales, school canteens, children's services, supermarkets, greengrocers, and delis have been granted a 12-month extension, until December 8, 2024, to fulfil the new food safety requirements mandated by Food Standard 3.2.2A.
* Note for VIC: In Victoria, all Food Safety Supervisors who acquired their certification before December 8 2023, have until December 2028 to renew it.