Latest Food Safety Survey Report
Information in this article has been provided by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and is included with permission.In 2001 FSANZ undertook a Benchmark Survey of Food Safety. The results were significant and it was agreed that there would be periodic surveys done to determine what improvements had been implemented since that key survey.
In 2007 a phone and observational survey was done under the key food safety areas of temperature control, protecting food from contamination, cleaning and sanitation, and personal hygiene and staff illness. These are the key food safety areas that have been identified in the Food Safety Standards.
FSANZ has now prepared a report Safe Food Handling in Australian Food Businesses - Knowledge and Practices: An Interpretive Summary of the 2007 and 2001 National Food Handling Surveys (the Interpretive Summary).
The Interpretive Summary brings together the results of the 2007 Telephone and Observational Surveys The Interpretive Summary further provides an analysis and conclusion as to whether food safety knowledge and practices in each of these food safety areas has improved since the
Benchmark Survey in 2001 and whether there is scope for further improvement.
In addition, the Interpretive Summary discusses improvements since the 2001 Benchmark Survey in relation to general assessment of the premises, staff food safety training, food recall plans, food safety programs, sources of food safety information and awareness of and changes in practices as a result of the introduction of the Food Safety Standards (only applies in Australia).
Due to a number of food safety incidents which occurred at bakeries and sushi manufacturers the time the 2007 Survey was planned, these businesses were an additional focus of the 2007 Survey and results are included in the Interpretive Summary.
The aim of the Interpretive Summary is to provide useful and accessible information for jurisdictions, food businesses and other interested organisations as a first step to identifying and developing targeted compliance and education activities for food businesses to further improve safe food handling knowledge and practices.
Overall outcomes
Overall, the 2007 Survey has demonstrated that food businesses have significantly improved their safe food handling knowledge and practices in most key safe food handling areas since the Benchmark Survey was conducted in 2001. These improvements in knowledge and behaviour of safe food handling since the introduction of the Food Safety Standards are likely to have led to consequent improvements in overall food safety and public health.
The Interpretive Summary identifies a number of specific food handling knowledge or practice items within each key safe food handling area where further improvement is desirable or where knowledge or practice may have declined. A number of business demographics were also identified that may benefit from targeted education or other activities.
The 2007 Survey Report is available at:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/evaluationreportseries/2007nationalfo
odhand4116.cfm
A Food Surveillance News summary article on the 2007 Survey is available at:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/foodsurveillancenewsletter/summer2008.cfm
The 2001 Benchmark Survey Report is available at:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/evaluationreportseries/nationalfoodhan
dling1315.cfm
The Interpretive Summary of the 2007 Survey is available at:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/educationalmaterial/publications/evaluationreportseries/2007n
ationalfoodhand4116.cfm
Further information is available on the FSANZ website at www.foodstandards.gov.au or please contact Mary-Lou Dalzell by phone (+61 2 62712222) or email her at marylou.dalzell@foodstandards.gov.au.