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Risk Management Tools

Food Control Plans

The proposed law means food business operators will actively manage food safety. A Food Control Plan consists of a set of procedures which document the controls a business has in place to manage each risk in their particular process. Two types of Food Control Plans are proposed:

1. Off-the-peg Food Control Plans

An off-the-peg Food Control Plan will be designed to be a ready-to-use system for managing food safety. They will be developed by NZFSA for food sectors where processes are similar across that sector. More information about off-the-peg Food Control Plans can be found here.

2. Custom-made Food Control Plans

Under the new Food Act, custom-made Food Control Plans will be written by operators of complex businesses to suit their particular process. They could be developed from scratch or adapted from one or more off-the-peg Food Control Plans.

In preparation for the new system, NZFSA is developing support tools to help operators develop their own custom-made Food Control Plan. The following have been released so far:

• The Hazard Database provides information on food safety hazards that can occur in New Zealand foods.

• Guidance for developing procedures that set out how to operate the food business to produce consistently safe and suitable food.

The type of Food Control Plan that a business uses will depend on the level of risk posed by the products of that business. Not every business will need a Food Control Plan; some businesses will be covered by a National Programme, or Food Handler Guidance.

National Programmes

National programmes will be the primary risk management tool. The scope of the national programmes will be around the minimum regulatory requirements that a food business will need to comply with to assure food safety. There will be three levels of national programmes which will be differentiated based on risk, impact on consumers, expected compliance rate and cost benefit.

Food Handler Guidance

Food Handler Guidance brochures are designed to provide food safety advice to people who sell food infrequently or who or, as part of their business sell food to few people. These brochures are guidance only and do not substitute for the law - see your local council Environmental Health Officer for information about local requirements that might apply.

Food Handler Guidance brochures released to date:

• Hot tips for a safe and successful sausage sizzle

• Food safety tips for selling food at occasional events

• Food safety tips for event organisers

• Food safety tips for Bed and Breakfasts, home stays, farm stays, small lodges