What are employee responsibilities in regards to food safety?

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Food safety plays an important part in the food supply chain to ensure that food is safe and suitable for consumers to eat.  Food businesses are responsible for complying with food safety legislation, regulation and standards.  Food safety regulators and food safety auditors monitor and enforce food laws in Queensland.

Food businesses

A food business is any business, enterprise or activity that involves the handling of food. This includes commercial, charitable, non-profit and community organisations.

In relation to food safety, the role of a food business is to:

Some food businesses are also required to have:

Food safety regulators

There are several agencies that monitor and enforce food laws in Queensland. They include:

Queensland Health

The role of Queensland Health is to:

• enforce food safety requirements in food businesses for matters such as composition of food, labelling, foodborne illness investigation and intentional contamination
• investigate and respond to food safety complaints
• manage applications, renewals, suspensions and cancellations of food safety auditors
• maintain a register of approved food safety auditors
• maintain a register of approved mobile food vehicles
• manage food recalls with food businesses.

Queensland Health can be contacted via 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Local government

The role of local government is to:

• enforce food safety requirements in food businesses for matters such as licences, food handling practice, foreign objects in food
• manage applications, renewals, suspensions and cancellations of food business licences
• accredit food safety programs
• investigate and respond to food safety complaints for matters they enforce
• inspect any food business in their area regardless of whether the food business is licensed or not.

Contact details for local councils can be found in the local government directory.

Safe Food Production Queensland

The role of Safe Food Production Queensland is to:

• enforce food safety requirements for the primary production and processing of meat, eggs, dairy, seafood and horticulture (seed sprouts) in Queensland
• accredit food safety programs for primary production and processing food businesses
• investigate and respond to food safety complaints relating to primary production and processing food businesses
• manage applications, renewals, suspensions and cancellations of food safety auditors for the auditing of primary production and processing food businesses
• maintain a register of approved food safety auditors for the auditing of primary production and processing food businesses.

Safe Food Production Queensland can be contacted on 1800 300 815 or at https://www.safefood.qld.gov.au/

Food safety auditors

The role of a food safety auditor is to:

• provide advice to local governments about accreditation of food safety programs
• conduct audits of accredited food safety programs
• prepare audit reports and provide a copy of these reports to the local government and the food business.

Auditors approved under the Food Act 2006 do not have any enforcement powers and cannot require a food business to make any changes to their food safety program or the food business. Only Queensland Health or local government officers have the authority to direct a food business to make any changes to their operations.

Read more about food safety auditors and food safety programs

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Last updated: 9 June 2021

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