Food Audit

……Food Safety Programs….

A Sydney City Council has joined cities including London, New York and Toronto by releasing the names of food service businesses fined for breaching the Food Standards Code. Blacktown City Council has named publicly eleven businesses with details of their infringements.

A scheme in Britain named Scores on Doors lists the results of food inspections at the entrance to food outlets.

The NSW Ombudsman Chris Wheeler has been quoted as saying “schemes such as those in other countries where restaurant hygiene ratings are posted in the shop window might be a more effective way to enable the public to make an informed choice” One of the countries that does this is New Zealand and it is the ANZFA (Australian and New Zealand Food Authority) that makes recommendations to the states and territories in Australia in regard to food safety legislation.

It was only March 2007 that over 100 people, many hospitalised were reported sick from eating at a Homebush West food outlet. This food service organisation remained closed weeks later. Each year in Australia people die from food poisoning.

Your best Protection from causing food poisoning is to have an approved Food Safety Strategy and then have it independently audited to a standard such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). Not only does this give an organisation and its staff confidence and peace of mind, it is a safety blanket for a mishap in that you can demonstrate you have a best practice system in place.

A summary of the process follows:

Step One:
Initial contact and meeting with Tandem’s Food Audit Division

Step Two:
Internal Food Audit of your operation

Step Three:
Food Safety Plan developed suitable to your organisation

Step Four:
Food Safety Plan introduced to food service staff. Gap training provided. Final Plan implemented by employees of the organisation

Step Five:
Once organisation and food auditor are satisfied that the Food Safety Strategy is effective an independent audit can be arranged.

This process happens over a timeframe that suits your operational needs. Our involvement is dependant on the size of the organisation, processes and procedures currently in place, the number of food outlets and your staff’s capability.