Food handlers
What is a food handler?
A food handler is anyone who works in a food business that:
- handles food
- works with surfaces that are likely to be in contact with food such as cutlery, plates and bowls.
A food handler may do many different things for a food business. Examples include making, cooking, preparing, serving, packing, displaying and storing food. Food handlers can also be involved in manufacturing, producing, collecting, extracting, processing, transporting, delivering, thawing or preserving food.
Responsibilities
A food handler must maintain good personal hygiene and have safe habits to protect the community from getting foodborne illnesses.
Some simple ways to prevent foodborne illness are:
Do
- wash your hands regularly with soap and warm running water
- wear clean clothing and apron
- minimise unnecessary contact with food
- cover wounds with waterproof bandages
Do not
- work if you are sick – especially if you have vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, a sore throat with a fever
- touch your mouth, nose and eyes
- sneeze, cough or blow over unprotected food or surfaces
- spit, smoke or use tobacco where food is handled
Read more about the health and hygiene responsibilities of food handlers.
Training
The Food Act 2006 places obligations on food business licensees and food handlers in relation to the safe handling of food. Chapter 3 of the Food Standards Code sets out health and hygiene requirements for food handlers.
Standard 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools (PDF, 2MB) requires that food handlers need appropriate food safety skills and knowledge to handle potentially hazardous foods. Food handlers must have completed a food safety training course or have skills and knowledge of food safety and hygiene matters commensurate with their work activities.
Example
A chef that prepares and processes food will need a high level of skills and knowledge in food safety and food hygiene; however, a waiter or shop assistant that only handles packaged or plated ready-to-eat food may require a lower level of skills and knowledge.
Category one and category two food businesses must ensure all food handlers have completed a food safety training course or have appropriate skills and knowledge, before they start handling high-risk foods.
What are category one and category two businesses?
Category one
A category one business is a food business that:
- is a caterer or a food service; and
- processes unpackaged potentially hazardous food, into a food that is:
- potentially hazardous food; and
- ready-to-eat food.
Examples of category one businesses include:
- restaurants
- takeaway outlets
- caterers
- bakeries.
Category two
A category two business is a food business that offers for food for retail sale that is:
- potentially hazardous food; and
- ready-to-eat food, where that food:
- was received unpackaged by the food business or was unpackaged by the food business after receipt; and
- was not made or processed (other than slicing, weighing, repacking, reheating or hot-holding the food) by the food business.
Examples of category two businesses may include retail such as:
- delicatessens
- market stalls
- service stations
- convenience stores.
Source: Food Standards Australia and New Zealand, Food Standards Code, Standard 3.2.2A, Food Safety Management Tools (PDF, 2MB).
Food safety training course requirements
The food safety training course must include information on:
- safe handling of food; and
- food contamination; and
- cleaning and sanitising of food premises and equipment; and
- personal hygiene.
Businesses may use online food safety training programs, such as DoFoodSafely. This is free online training recognised by enforcement agencies. There are also courses from vocational training providers, or training developed by the business. An internal training program may also be tailored to the business’ own activities and procedures, but it must cover the requirements above.
It is important to note that online training courses available for food handlers will generally not provide the detailed level of knowledge required for a food safety supervisor. See the Food safety supervisor guideline for more information.
How often is training required?
Businesses need to make sure their food handlers’ skills and knowledge is up-to-date. While there is no specific timeframe or refresher period for food handler training, it is best practice to schedule regular refresher training.
More information
Read more from Food Standards Australia and New Zealand about: