Glenelg Shire, PO Box 152, Portland, 3305 Ph. (03) 5522 2200

www.glenelg.vic.gov.au

The Secret Recipe

Volume 2, Issue 1 November 2009

Food Hygiene Quiz

1.1.1.1. Hot food

required for

service the

next day

should:

Α)Α)Α)Α) Be placed in

the

refrigerator

immediately

after cooking

Β)Β)Β)Β) Be left in the

kitchen to

cool for 6

hours

C) Be cooled

rapidly then

refrigerated

and reheated

to above 60ºC

D) Be cooled

rapidly then

refrigerated

and reheated

to 45ºC

Answer on back

page.

This Issue:

Can Pests contaminate your food?

1

Food Safety Slipping Through the Cracks

2-3

Tea Towels vs. Disposable Paper

3

Aussies Still Failing Hand Washing

4

Can Pests Contaminate your Food? Excluding pests from your premises reduces

the opportunities for food contamination.

Pests transmit spoilage and food poisoning

micro-organisms directly onto food or food

contact surfaces.

The most common pests that have the

potential to create a public health impact

are flies, cockroaches, rats, mice and grain

beetles.

The design and construction of your food

premises should restrict the entry of pests;

however, good housekeeping surveillance

is essential to ensure that any pests that do

enter your premises are quickly detected

and eradicated before they have the

potential to contaminate your foods and

potentially have an adverse impact on

your income.

All food businesses must play an active role

in ensuring pests cannot contaminate their

foods. This includes both stored foodstuffs

and manufactured foods. Onsite food

surveillance will require your staff to

regularly assess the premises for signs of

pest entry and once detected, appropriate

action needs to be taken to ensure that the

entry point is sealed, the pests are

eliminated and all nests or signs of

infestation are removed from the premises.

Some preventative measures that you

should take are:

• Keep all food preparation areas and

storage areas clean.

• Make sure that any scraps of food on

the floor, shelves and preparation

areas are cleaned up.

• Clean grease traps and drains

regularly.

• Store food in glass or food grade

utensils with tight fighting lids.

• Do not leave dirty dishes or used

utensils in the food preparation area

for extended periods.

• Regularly empty, clean and sanitise

garbage bins and garbage areas.

• Seal cracks and crevices around

windows, doors, tiles, vents, walls and

service pipe entry points.

• Install fly-proofing on all external doors

and windows including fly strips, air

curtains, self closing doors and fly

screens to windows.

• Inspect all food deliveries for signs of

infestation, including damaged

packaging, droppings, contamination

and gnawing marks.

• Ensure the area around your premises

is clear of wood piles, old machinery,

garbage or weeds and other places

pests can nest, hide and breed.

If you have been unable to prevent

infestation, it is best to seek professional pest

control advice.

Food Hygiene Quiz Answers 1. C - Be cooled rapidly then refrigerated and re-

heated to above 60ºC. 2. B – Helps reduce microbial load. 3. D - Staphylococcus aureus Got any of these wrong? Perhaps its time to refresh / update your food safety skills. Contact Council for a list of training providers.

Aussies still failing hand washing test 29% of men and 8% of women failed to wash

their hands after using the toilet in the food hall

of a shopping centre, according to an

observational study of 200 people by the Food

Safety Information Council.

Dr Michael Eyles, Chair of the Food Safety

Information Council, said the observational

results were very disappointing, especially as

there had not been any statistically valid

improvement since the 2002 observational

study where 27% of men and 9% of women

failed to wash their hands.

“Correct hand washing is an important public

health issue as you might find that you and

your family may not only get less food

poisoning but also less viral diseases like colds

and flu,” Dr Eyles said.

“We need to take the time to wash our hands

with soap and running water and to dry

thoroughly.

“There is evidence that Australians do know

how to wash their hands correctly as a national

telephone survey in November 2008 showed

that 98% of respondents recognised that you

should wash your hands using soap and dry

thoroughly on disposable paper towel. This is a

considerable improvement on the first Food

Safety Information Council survey in 1997 when

18.4% of respondents didn’t know the

importance of washing their hands before

preparing food.

“The observational study showed that young

girls were best at washing and drying their

hands correctly. Overall men, especially older

men were the worst performers,” Dr Eyles

concluded.

The Food Safety Information Council tips on

washing your hands correctly are to remember

the 20/20 rule of 20 seconds washing with soap

and water and 20 seconds drying thoroughly:

1. Wet your hands and rub together well to

build up a good lather with soap as the

suds help to carry the bacteria away. Do

this for at least 20 seconds and don’t

forget to wash between your fingers and

under your nails.

2. Rinse well under warm running water to

remove the bacteria and dirt from your

hands.

3. Dry your hands thoroughly on single use

paper for at least 20 seconds. Touching

surfaces with moist hands encourages the

spread of bugs from the surface to your

hands.

Always wash and dry your hands:

• Before commencing or re-commencing

any activities in the food preparation area.

• Between handling raw foods and cooked

foods.

• After handling raw meat, fish or chicken.

• After blowing your nose, coughing,

sneezing or scratching or touching body

parts and using the toilet.

• After handling money.

• After handling or disposing of waste.

Environmental Health Officers

Greg Andrews & Bree Porter

Email: gandrews@glenelg.vic.gov.au

Ph: (03) 5522 2229

FOOD HYGIENE

QUIZ

2. A sanitiser:

A) Helps

remove

visible soil

B) Helps

reduce

microbial

load

C) Makes

cleaning

easier

D) Is not

required

E) Leaves a

pleasant

after-smell

Answer on back

page.

Food Fact:

According to the

World Health

Organisation,

there are over

250 types of

food poisoning!

Remember:

Remember to

heat food in the

oven before

putting into a

bain-marie or

pie warmer and

use separate

tongs, spoons

and serving

utensils for each

tray in the bain-

marie.

Food Hygiene

Quiz

3. The type of

food

poisoning

most likely

to be

caused by

an

uncovered

infected cut

is due to:

A) Bacillus

Cereus

B) Salmonella

C) Clostridium

Perfringens

D) Staphyloco

ccus aureus

E) Listeria

monocytog

ens

Answer on back

page.

Remember:

The warmer

temperatures

are ideal for

bacterial growth

and increases

the risk of

potential food

poisoning, so

extra care

should be taken

in the Summer

months to keep

food safe.

The Secret Recipe Volume 2, Issue 1 The Secret Recipe Volume 2, Issue 1

Tea Towels vs. Disposable Paper In a commercial premises, tea towels can

be a source of contamination if used

incorrectly. When tea towels become

wet, there is an increased risk of

harbouring potentially harmful bacteria

as the environment provides an ideal

medium for bacterial growth.

By using the same tea towel for a variety

of uses (to dry dishes then wipe over

preparation benches), the humble tea

towel can instantly become an effective

transmitter of bacteria from one part of

your premises to another. The bacteria in

the damp tea towel can also survive for

extended periods thus ensuring that with

every use the contamination cycle

continues until this towel is replaced.

The most effective hand drying method is

the use of single-use disposable paper

towel. Paper towels are an effective

hand drying agent and are also

extremely effective for wiping down food

preparation areas.

A paper towel can also be used during

the sanitising process as a pre cleaning

agent or during the sanitising process.

If tea towels are used in the food

preparation area they must be replaced

with a cleanly washed and laundered

article on a daily basis or as required.

Even though this tea

towel has been used

only a few times, it is

very likely that there

are millions of bacteria

growing on it, ready to

contaminate any

surface the towel is put

on.

Food Safety Slipping Through Cracks Chapter 3 of the Australian New Zealand

Food Standards Code outlines the

requirements for food premises in terms of

food safety standards. It covers various

aspects of hygiene, cleanliness,

maintenance and practices to ensure that

the food produced is fit for human

consumption.

Standard 3.2.3 states that all food

businesses must maintain all of their fittings,

fixtures, equipment and utensils so that

they are clean, sanitary, in a good state of

repair and working having regard to their

use.

These items need to be properly

maintained to:

• Prevent contamination of food from

flaking plaster, paint, timber, broken

glass, leaking pipes, etc.

• Enable effective cleaning and

sanitising.

• Ensure pests do not gain access to

the building or vehicle from holes in

ceilings, walls, etc.

• Ensure the equipment works as

intended.

A food business must not use any chipped,

broken or cracked eating or drinking

utensils for handling or preparing food.

Chipped, broken or cracked eating or

drinking utensils are a food safety risk for

the following reasons:

• They cannot be effectively cleaned

and sanitised and therefore may

allow the transmission of infectious

disease.

• They may contaminate food directly

if broken or chipped pieces of the

utensils fall into the food.

It is important that all food handlers are

trained to check equipment they are using

for any defects, and that they are aware

of the procedures in place for dealing with

situations when they arise. The defective

item should be removed from the premises

to prevent clutter and so no other food

handler accidently uses the item.

For a copy of the Food Standards Code,

please visit www.foodstandards.gov.au.

Fittings, fixtures & equipment must be in good

working order.

Hand basins are to be used for hand washing only.

Provide shatter proof lights in food preparation

and food storage areas.

Make sure shelving is not rusted and easy to clean.

Chopping boards must be in a good condition &

able to be effectively cleaned & sanitised.

Make sure floors, walls & ceilings are smooth,

impervious and easy to clean.

Cleaning and sanitising on

a frequent basis will

increase the longevity of

the fittings, fixtures and

equipment in your food

premises. This will also

reduce the risk of food

poisoning and food

s po i l age o r gan i sm s

adversely affecting the

foods produced from your

establishment. This diagram

highlights a few simple

steps which may assist you

to maintain your premises.