Download It`s Your Food - Issue 2, 2016

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ISSUE 2 2016
A Newsletter for Food
Businesses in Monash
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2017 Food Act Registration Renewal
Application forms to renew the registration
of food businesses under the Food Act 1984
were sent to all food business operators in
Monash in November.
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Business operators should check the application form and
make any necessary changes, sign the form and return it
to Council in the ‘reply paid’ envelope with your payment
details.
Payment is required by 31 December 2016. Payment
options are provided on the renewal of registration form.
Please ensure that your renewal of registration notice
is returned to Council with payment by the due date
to avoid receiving a Penalty Infringement Notice for
operating unregistered.
If you wish to speak to an Environmental Health Officer
regarding your registration renewal, please call Council
on
9518 3555.
Reminder to Third Party Audited Food Businesses
All Class 1 and Class 2 food
businesses that have an
independent Food Safety
Program are required
to be audited by a third
party. The Food Act 1984
requires that the audit
is conducted every 12
months by an approved
food safety auditor.
If you haven’t already had your
audit conducted for 2016 and
your business requires a third
party audit then you must
complete this audit and submit it
to Council by 31 December 2016.
Council requires a Certificate of
Compliance from the audit to be
able to renew your registration
for 2017.
Further information on audit
requirements and a list of
Department of Health and Human
Services approved auditors can
be found at
www2.health.vic.
gov.au/public-health/food-safety/
food-businesses/food-safetyaudits-assessment/food-safetyaudits or by contacting Council’s
Public Health Unit.
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Facteria/
Bacillus
Cereus:
Do you sell pink hamburgers?
What is it?
During Council’s food safety
assessments, officers have found
an emerging trend of offering
undercooked burgers. This process
of preparing burger patties which
are sold pink may not be compliant
with your Food Safety Program and it
would be an offence to sell them. You
may also risk giving your customers
food poisoning.
Bacillus Cereus is a
spore-forming bacteria
capable of producing
heat-resistant toxins.
The bacteria is commonly
associated with foods such
as rice and leftovers, sauces,
soups and ready-to-eat foods
that have been left out at room
temperature for too long. The
toxins produced by the bacteria
can cause gastro illnesses
characterized by diarrhoea,
nausea and vomiting. Symptoms
can develop 1 - 24 hours after
infection and will usually last no
more than 24 hours.
Control and Prevention:
Bacillus Cereus thrives and
multiplies rapidly in the
temperature danger zone
between 5 and 60⁰C.
It is therefore critical that:
»» Potentially hazardous
foods are kept out of the
temperature danger zone by
keeping cold foods at 5⁰C or
below and hot foods at 60⁰C
or above
»» Cooked foods should be
stored in a wide shallow
container so they can be
cooled rapidly and placed
in a refrigerator once
the steam has dispersed
»» Ready-to-eat foods that
have been stored in the
danger zone for more
than 4 hours must be
discarded.
Hamburger Safety
Hamburgers are a popular
food and are appearing on
more and more menus.
One of the more common types of
food poisoning bacteria found in
undercooked burgers is E.Coli, which
normally comes from the intestines
of animals. When meat is minced,
E.Coli may be mixed and distributed
throughout the mince burger patties.
It is therefore important that the
internal temperature of the patty
reaches 75⁰C to kill the bacteria and
to ensure that it is safe to eat.
If you make your own patties you
should review your hamburger
handling processes including crosscontamination controls, sanitation of
equipment and surfaces, oversight
of other staff as they prepare food,
strict supplier control and hand
washing procedures.
Here are some food safety tips
for cooking burger patties:
»» Make burger patties thin so that
they cook all the way through
»» Remove the hamburger from
the grill, pan or oven and use a
digital probe thermometer to take
the temperature in the thickest
part of the meat. Cook until the
thermometer reads at least 75°C
»» If you are cooking more than one,
take the temperature in several of
the thickest patties
»» Colour is a bad indicator for
hamburgers. At 75°C a safely
cooked beef patty may vary from
slight pink to brown, depending on
whether the ground beef was fresh
or frozen, and how it was thawed
»» Never place cooked food back on
the same plate or cutting board
that previously held raw food
»» Do not let ready-to-eat foods like
lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc
come into contact with raw meat
or its juices
»» Never use left-over marinade for
basting or as a sauce
»» Always wash and sanitise the
digital probe thermometer and
other utensils that were used on
raw or partially cooked ground
beef before using them again.
If you have any questions about
producing and selling hamburger
please contact the Public Health Unit
on
9518 3555 or speak to your
Environmental Health Officer.
Is Your Rice Safe?
Very few people realise that when rice is
improperly stored, cooked or cooled, it can
cause food poisoning.
Uncooked rice often contains the bacteria Bacillus
Cereus. The bacteria can form spores that survive the
cooking process and if the rice is cooled too slowly or
kept between 5°C and 60°C, these bacteria can multiply
and produce a heat resistant toxin that causes food
poisoning. Reheating the rice does not kill the poisoning
toxins that have already been produced and can still
make your customers sick.
Rice contaminated with Bacillus Cereus will look, smell
and taste the same as normal rice.
The following are tips to ensure your rice is safe to eat:
»» Do not soak rice in water overnight. Dry rice is a
low risk product. Once water is added to the raw
rice, food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply
quickly and poisonous toxins can be produced. Rice
needs to be cooked right away once water is added
»» Only cook the amount of rice you need at any one
time
»» Keep cooked rice above 60°C
»» Cool rice as quickly as possible and store below 5°C
»» Remove cooked rice from the hot container and
divide into smaller, clean and shallow containers.
Keep the containers separate, not stacked.
Alternatively, cool the rice in a colander under cold
running water before storing in a refrigerator
»» Discard rice that has been left out of refrigeration
for more than 4 hours.
Food and Oil Interceptors
(Grease Traps)
What is a food and oil interceptor
(grease trap) and do I need one?
The grease trap captures the offensive wastewater
from sinks, dishwashers and floor waste. It needs to
be cleaned out regularly so that it doesn’t block up
the sewer or overflow creating smell and mess for
your business.
If you have a food business it’s likely that you generate
’trade waste’. If this is the case then you need a Trade
Waste Agreement with your local water authority and
a maintained grease trap at your business.
Monash has two water authorities that cover the
municipality: Yarra Valley Water and South East
Water. Their officers may visit your food business to
check that you have a grease trap that is regularly
emptied and cleaned.
If you are not sure if your business generates trade
waste or if you have trouble locating your grease trap
(it can be installed above or below ground) call your
local water authority:
• Yarra Valley Water - Trade Waste Team
9872 1240
Email: [email protected]
• South East Water:
9552 3662
Email: [email protected]
If you don’t have a grease trap you will likely be
charged an Asset Protection Fee by the water
authority until your grease trap is installed.
Wastewater spilling inside your business is
bad for business!
It is an offence under the Water Act 1989 to put your
trade waste down the sewer without having a Trade
Waste Agreement with your water authority and
this Agreement requires food businesses to have a
correctly sized grease trap that is regularly emptied
and cleaned.
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DO s and DON Ts
of Waste Management
Good waste management practices are important as they help to reduce
pests and animals to the premises, reduce odour issues and prevent
pollution to our storm water system and waterways.
Some key tips for good waste management practices:
Liquid waste:
Hard waste:
»» remember a stormwater drain is just for
»» have adequate bins for your business
rain water
»» store liquids where spills can be easily
contained and cleaned up
»» have a “spill kit” handy such as sawdust or
DO
kitty litter than can be used to clean up liquid
spills and be swept up and put in the bin
»» make sure any waste oil is stored securely
and is collected regularly by a licensed
contractor. Check the internet for
appropriate contractors.
and make sure lids can be kept closed at
all times so that rubbish and recyclable
waste do not blow around. Keeping the
lid closed will also reduce the attraction
of pests and animals to the area
»» recycle your rubbish as much as you can to
reduce the amount of hard waste that is put
in your rubbish bins
»» make sure your bins are clean and in good
repair with no holes or damage to allow any
liquid or solid waste to leak out
»» keep your bins locked to discourage others
from dumping rubbish in your bin
»» remember disposal of liquid, solid or
DON’T
waste water to the stormwater drain
and failure to adequately store your
rubbish prior to collection is illegal and
may result in your business receiving
a Penalty Infringement Notice.
»» tip oil, food waste, chemicals, detergents or
waste water down the stormwater drain
»» hose down floors, driveways or bin
»» put rubbish in an already full bin
»» dump loose or bagged rubbish on the
ground.
storage areas into the stormwater
drain or allow mop water to be tipped
down the stormwater drain.
Language Assist Directory
Past editions of our It’s Your Food Newsletter can be found
on Council’s website:
www.monash.vic.gov.au/business/food-news.htm
Food Safety Victoria
1300 364 352
Monash Council, 293 Springvale Road (PO Box 1)
Glen Waverley Vic 3150
9518 3555 Fax 9518 3444 www.monash.vic.gov.au