Businesses
Businesses that proactively monitor the highest risk food safety components of their business (i.e. temperatures of refrigerated foods) will be able to recognise food safety risks and take action to prevent a bigger problem.
Think Food Safe is about encouraging businesses to proactively monitor food safety to uphold the national food safety standards and reduce food safety risks to consumers.
Incentives for Businesses
Those who sign up to the program, maintain compliance and display the Think Food Safe logo will be rewarded with licence incentives and less frequent inspections.
- Excellent food safety practices: Excellent compliance with the national food safety standards. 0-2 low risk items identified at inspection.
- Good food safety practices: General compliance with the national food safety standards. 3-6 low-risk items identified at inspection that can be easily corrected.
- Excellent food safety monitoring & records: Temperature monitoring and recording at multiple stages (food receipt, food storage, food display, food transport).
- Basic food safety monitoring & records: Monitoring and recording refrigeration temperatures twice daily. Corrective actions taken when identified.
Council’s new Think Food Safe program will be easier and fairer and will apply for all food premises inspections from 31 July 2021.
Resources for Businesses
Food Safety Monitoring and Records
Tips for good temperature control
These tips will help accurately measure the core temperatures of food in your refridgerators and cold rooms.
Measuring temperatures using the Jar Method
- Use a jar or similar container for each refrigerator.
- Drill a hole in the lid and fill the jar with water.
- Label each jar with an Identification label (i.e A,B,C,D).
- Place the jar in a central location or near hazardous foods (meat, dairy) in a refrigerator.
- Use the hole in the lid to insert the probe thermometer.
- Check and record the temperature 2-3 times/day.
Ice method for calibrating your probe thermometer (easy and safe)
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Top up the glass with cold water.
- Place the termometer probe in the ice water and leave for 2-3 minutes.
- For analogue thermometers, use a small spanner to adjust the needle to 0ºC (you will find a small nut on the underside of the dial where the probe is connected).
- Make sure you keep the probe in the ice water when adjusting the needle.
- Digital thermometers often cannot be manually adjusted. First try replacing the battery and selecting the reset button. the thermometer must be accuraute to +/-1.0°C. Replace the thermometer if needed.
Other Resources
- Incoming goods record - food receipt log
- Cleaning schedule and program
- 2/4 Hour rule - Alternative method of compliance (if applicable) - please discuss with one of Council's Environmental Health Officers
- Recall procedure (for manufacturers) - FSANZ recall information
- Food safety program (high risk facilities only)