Childcare Food Services
Children's services in New South Wales (NSW) that provide food into their operations are governed by the Food Standards Code and Food Act 2003. This requirement applies to various businesses and facilities including long day care, family day care, out of school hours care, occasional day care, and employer-sponsored childcare.
For services that handle (cook) unpackaged potentially hazardous food and serve it ready-to-eat, the following regulations must be followed:
- They must have an onsite Food Safety Supervisor who is qualified and available to oversee food handlers.
- All food handlers must receive training in food safety and hygiene or demonstrate sufficient skills and knowledge.
- They must be able to demonstrate that the food they prepare is safe for consumption.
Services that only undertake activities like slicing, weighing, repacking, reheating, or hot-holding unpackaged potentially hazardous food (e.g., slicing fruit or reheating catered meals) are required to:
- Employ an onsite Food Safety Supervisor who is qualified and accessible to supervise food handlers.
- Ensure all food handlers are trained in food safety and hygiene or can prove adequate skills and knowledge.
These new requirements come into effect from December 8, 2024. It's important to note that these regulations do not apply to:
- Children's services where food handling is limited to occasional cooking experiences conducted as educational activities with children.
- Services where parents provide food for their children, rather than the business.
These regulations specifically target children's services that provide unpackaged potentially hazardous food that is ready-to-eat as part of their service.
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