Food safety management tools
Access tools to help manage food safety risks in your food business. Take an online training course and download templates.
Food businesses are required to manage their food safety risks. Using food safety management tools reduces the risk of food-borne illnesses, outbreaks, loss of revenue, and reputational damage to your business.
The Food Safety Standard, 3.2.2A – Food Safety Management Tools provides a range of tools for business to enable them to handle food safely.
The standard applies to food businesses that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous food that is:
- used in the preparation of ready-to-eat food to be served to a consumer
- ready-to-eat food intended for retail sale.
Potentially hazardous foods are generally foods that need to be refrigerated to be kept safe. This includes:
- raw/cooked meats
- food containing eggs
- dairy products
- seafood
- cut fruit and vegetables.
The food safety management tools you require depends on the category of your food business.
To check which category your business is in, complete our online survey.
Food safety training (Category 1 & 2)
All food handlers in your business need to complete a food safety training course or demonstrate relevant food handling skills and knowledge.
Food safety training includes:
- safe handling of food
- food contamination
- cleaning and sanitising of food premises and equipment
- personal hygiene.
Food safety supervisor (Category 1 & 2)
All licensed food businesses in Queensland must have a food safety supervisor.
A food safety supervisor’s role is to monitor the safe handling of food in the business.
Choosing a food supervisor
Anyone within the business or an external contractor can be a food safety supervisor if they are:
- certified by a registered training organisation within the past 5 years
- regularly on-site to oversee food handling or easily contactable if there are established food handling practices in place.
A food safety supervisor should:
- know how to recognise, prevent and alleviate food safety hazards
- have skills and knowledge in issues relating to food safety relevant to the business
- have the authority to supervise and give directions about food safety to staff.
You should inform Council of your designated food safety supervisor:
- when applying for a food business licence, or within 30 days of being issued a food business licence
- within 14 days of appointing a new food safety supervisor, or when your supervisor’s contact details change.
Evidence of food safety management (Category 1)
Businesses are encouraged to keep records of how they manage food safety risks.
Keep records of your compliance with key food handling controls including:
- temperature control for food receipt
- temperature control during food storage
- food processing for any pathogen-reducing steps
- time control during food processing
- cooling food
- reheating food
- temperature control for food display
- temperature control during food transport
- cleaning and sanitising.
To help you, we’ve developed a range of food safety management templates.
Records can be kept in either a hard copy or digital format. They must be available to a Council officer upon request and accessible to business staff during trading.
Find more information about food safety.