'Go for your life' Healthy Canteen Kit

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Food Safety

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Current requirements specify that all registered food premises, including schools, must demonstrate that the food prepared and served is safe to eat in accordance with the Victorian Food Act 1984 and the subsequent Food Amendment Act 1997 and the Food Amendment Act 2001.

School food services are regarded as Class 2 food premises. Class 2 food premises must prepare a food safety program. This is usually based on a Department of Human Services (DHS) approved template. A generic template, ‘Food Safety Program Template for Retail and Food Service Businesses‘, can be downloaded from Food Safety Victoria Food safety programs can also be completed online at Foodsmart

An important part of the food safety program is the appointment of a food safety supervisor. This person has the authority to ensure that all food handlers who work (paid or as a volunteer) in the establishment have the appropriate food safety and hygiene skills and knowledge. To be deemed competent as a food safety supervisor the completion of units of competence from an appropriate training provider is required. Details of these can also be found at Food Safety Victoria 

Food safety and handling requirements cover personal hygiene practices, food preparation practices, food storage and cleaning procedures.

Personal hygiene requirements include:

  • washing and drying hands before handling food and frequently during work
  • not smoking near food
  • not going to work when sick with a gastric disorder or contagious disease
  • using a handkerchief or tissue when coughing or sneezing.

Food preparation requirements include:

  • ensuring that food is handled by either a gloved hand or by utensils
  • ensuring that benches are clean
  • ensuring that there are suitable areas for food preparation (animals are forbidden in these areas)
  • avoiding cross-contamination of cooked and raw foods – hands or utensils that have been used to prepare raw foods must be washed properly before they are used to prepare ready-to-eat or cooked foods.

Food storage requirements involve:

  • ensuring that cold food is stored below 5˚C
  • ensuring that frozen food is stored below minus 15˚C
  • ensuring that hot food is maintained at over 60˚C
  • minimising the time that food is kept in the danger zone, that is between 5˚C and 60˚C – the temperature range at which bacteria are most likely to grow
  • ensuring that when cooling hot, potentially hazardous food it is cooled within two hours from 60˚C to 21˚C and within a further four hours to 5˚C.

Cleaning requirements involve:

  • ensuring that there is a display of schedules outlining how the premises are cleaned
  • having procedures for the storage and disposal of garbage and the location of bins.

More information

For more information see section 4.4.6.11 of the Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide 

Further information can also be obtained from Food Safety Victoria or the Food Safety Victoria Hotline on 1300 364 352.