Food Safety Standard

Food Safety Plan

What is a Food Safety Plan?

A FSP is a plan designed to identify and control hazards in order to establish and maintain food safety. The hazards may relate to the purchase, storage, preparation, packaging, transport or sale of food.

Basic requirements for a Food Safety Plan:

A FSP should also include some basic activities which address hazard control more broadly. Listed below are the examples of these components.

Cleaning and sanitation:

Effective cleaning and sanitizing remove food residues and dirt and hence minimize the risk of food contamination and food poisoning. A cleaning programme should be developed to ensure that cleaning is conducted in a systematic and regular manner. A well-planned cleaning programme should include the following:

(a) areas and equipment to be cleaned

(b) frequency of cleaning required for each item

(d) equipment and methods to be used

(e) chemicals or systems to be used

(f) the staff responsible for each task

Personal hygiene:

Good personal hygiene is essential to ensure food safety. Disease-causing bacteria may be present on the skin and in the nose of healthy people. All food handlers must therefore maintain a high standard of personal hygiene and cleanliness in order to avoid transferring food poisoning bacteria to foods. The following points need to be considered by all food handlers.

Uniforms, aprons (or clothes) should be clean at the beginning of a work shift
Wear a hair restraint (hat or hairnet)
Keep fingernails short and clean
Avoid touching nose, mouth, hair and skin during food preparation
Do not smoke in food premises
Do not cough or sneeze directly onto food. Wash hands after coughing or sneezing
Avoid using handkerchiefs, use disposable tissues
Wash your hands after blowing your nose
Avoid wearing jewellery while handling and preparing food
Avoid using strong perfumes/after shaves
Do not wear uniforms / aprons outside the food preparation area
Cover all wounds or cuts on hands or arms completely with bright-coloured waterproof wound strip
Wear disposable gloves if there is a wound on the hand. Change both gloves and wound strip regularly
Food handlers to be free from any illnesses such as gastro or the flu
Cease work and report to the manager while ill

Hands must be washed before:

Working
Handling food and utensils

Hands must be washed after:

Using the toilet
Handling raw food
Coughing, sneezing, eating, drinking or smoking
Licking fingers
Every break
Touching pimples or sores
Handling waste
Carrying out cleaning duties
Changing soiled clothes
Touching ears, nose, hair, mouth, or other bare body parts
Handling animals
Any other unhygienic practice

Handwashing technique:

Moisten hands with water
Apply soap or detergent, work up a lather beyond the wrist
Rub hands together for at least 20 seconds (use a nail brush when necessary)
Rinse off soap or detergent
Dry hands with paper towel or hot air dryer – do not wipe hands with uniform or cloths

Pest Control:

Pest may contaminate food and cause foodborne illness. A pest control programme should be developed to eliminate pests and prevent pests from infesting your food premises. An effective pest control programme should be able to prevent access, deny harbourage and eradicate any pests present.

Exclusion and restriction (preventing access and denying harbourage)

Seal all gaps around fittings or in walls or floors
Keep the doors to the outside closed at all times
Fit windows open directly into food preparation areas with screens (with apertures of 2mm square or less) to keep insects out
Cover ventilation ducts and floor drains
Store and remove garbage properly and regularly. Keep garbage covered.
Inspect frequently (e.g., weekly) for sign of pests – both outside and inside
Check incoming foods and supplies for sign of pests
Store food and supplies properly:
- Cover them properly
- Store them at least 15cm/6 inches off the floor and 15cm/6 inches away from walls
- Store at low humidity (50 percent or less)
- Apply First-in-first-out system
Remove cartons, newspaper, etc. that may attract and harbour pests
Clean up spillages of food immediately
Keep toilets cleaned and sanitized
Keep garbage in sealed plastic bags and inside tightly covered refuse bins

Destruction

Use chemical, physical or biological means, e.g., rodent traps, where there are sign of pests
Use a zapper or insecticutor to capture and kill flying insects. Ensure zappers are not above or within 3 metres of a food preparation or storage area. Avoid spraying insecticide over food preparation surfaces.
Hire a professional pest control company

Waste Disposal:

Waste can be regarded as any item of food, ingredients, packaging materials, etc. which are not suitable for further use and are intended to be disposed of. Waste should be controlled carefully since it presents a risk of contamination of foods.

Waste disposal bins are to be placed around the working area of food preparation rooms and positioned conveniently to staff and operations
Waste disposal bins are clearly distinguishable from other storage bins
Waste disposal bins in food preparation rooms need not be covered if they are in frequent use and are regularly emptied
A defined area is to be allocated for the storage of waste pending disposal
When food waste is removed from food preparation rooms pending disposal, it must be placed in a tightly covered waste storage bin
Plastic liners are to be used in waste disposal and storage bins
Waste disposal and storage bins are to be emptied when full or on a regular basis
Waste disposal bins are to be cleaned and sanitised daily and placed upside down and off the floor to drain overnight

Training:

Training offers food handlers a better understanding of how food can become contaminated, and how foodborne illness can be avoided through proper food handling procedures.

It is good practice for a business to have a training plan to identify the training needed for each member of staff
It is also good practice to keep records of the training completed by every member of staff
Training needs should be reviewed on a regular basis and should be judged against the role and responsibilities, the existing skills, experience and previous training of the staff.

Customer Complaint:

Customer complaint helps to reflect problem of the food production process. Complaints should be handled carefully. Appropriate amendment on the FSP can be made if necessary.

Establish complaint procedures
Document all complaints from customers
Record details including the date, customers details, reasons and response for complaint and corrective actions

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