Prepare food
Food processing is any activity you do to prepare food. This includes thawing, washing, chopping, cooking, drying, fermenting, heating or pasteurising.
When preparing food, handle food as little as possible, for example:
- only get ingredients out of the fridge when you are going to use them
- don’t get distracted during tasks that you then have to re-do
- don’t have more than one staff member handle the same food item
Utensils, equipment and surfaces must be cleaned and sanitised before and between use.
Ensure chemicals such as fly spray and cleaning products are kept away from food and preparation areas.
Do not mix or top-up batches of food as bacteria or other contaminates can transfer to the new food and may cause food poisoning.
Take steps to prevent cross contamination when making food such as:
- use separate chopping boards
- regularly clean and sanitise equipment and utensils
- have separate utensils for different foods or jobs
- handle food and money separately
- not use tea towels for drying hands
Limit the time that potentially hazardous food is in the temperate danger zone (between 5°C and 60°C) and comply with the 2 hour/4 hour guide.
Cool potentially hazardous food, from:
- 60°C to 21°C within two hours
- 21°C to 5°C within an additional four hours
Reheat potentially hazardous food to 60°C or hotter within 2 hours.
Thaw or defrost frozen food safely by, placing the frozen food in the refrigerator, or under cold running water to defrost or use the defrost setting on the microwave.
Do not use single use items more than once.
Records
The following records can be used when you prepare food:
More information
Contact your local council for more information about processing food safely in your food business.
Read more about:
- How to display and serve food safely
- cleaning and sanitising
- cross contamination
- temperature control
- waste management
- 2 hour / 4 hour guide from Food Safety Standards Australia New Zealand.