School canteens, children's services, supermarkets, greengrocers and delis in the Griffith Local Government Area now have more time to meet new food safety requirements – while fundraisers will not need to meet them at all – following a NSW Government legislation amendment.
Standard 3.2.2A of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code introduces three tools from 8 December 2023 for businesses that handle and serve unpackaged, ready-to-eat food requiring temperature control.
The tools include appointing a Food Safety Supervisor (someone certified with food safety skills and knowledge), ensuring food handlers are trained, and demonstrating safe food practices.
Children's services that provide food, school canteens, supermarkets, greengrocers, delis, coffee vendors serving food, and boarding schools, who have to appoint a Food Safety Supervisor for the first time under the new Standard, have until 8 December 2024 to comply.
It follows an amendment to the NSW Food Regulation, which also formalised an exemption for handling food for fundraising from all three tools.
Council's Environment & Health Coordinator, Vanessa Johns, said the change was particularly good news for local charitable and not-for-profit groups.
"This Standard would have placed an additional burden on some of our local community organisations, such as children's sport clubs that hold barbecues and canteens on game day," she said.
"These groups will still need to ensure they sell safe food and meet the other requirements of the Food Standards Code – as they are now."
Mrs Johns said Council would take an educative approach with local businesses as they transitioned to the new requirements.
"If local food businesses haven't yet looked at the new requirements, the time to do so is now. "Most cafes, restaurants and takeaways are already required to have a Food Safety Supervisor – they will only need to check that their certificate is still valid, ensure food handlers are trained and be able prove safe food practices," she said.
