Record Keeping
Food businesses are required to fully implement their Food Safety Program (FSP), including the specified records as a minimum legal requirement under section 19D of the Food Act 1984. The FSP and records are designed to help you and your staff ensures the food you prepare, cook, reheat or store is safe for customers. Failure to adhere to the FSP, or the record keeping requirements can result in a range of enforcement actions, including Penalty Infringement Notices, Food Act Directions, and in some cases can lead to a council revoking or refusing the business Food Act registration.
If you are using the Department of Health and Human Services ‘Food Safety Program, no. 1, version 3’, you need to complete the following records. You also need to make sure they are kept on-site, along with the FSP, and are easily accessible. Note: be sure to keep blank copies of these records so you don’t run out.
The following records must be kept:
Record 1: My Food Suppliers
You are required to list the trading name, business address and contact phone numbers for all of your food and drink suppliers. It is important that suppliers of raw materials, such as bulk oil, flour or rice are also included. Remember to update this list as you change suppliers.
Record 2: My temperature checks of food in cold or hot storage
You are required to monitor and record the temperature of at least one high risk food in each refrigeration, freezer and hot holding unit within your business once per day. By checking and recording the temperatures, you help meet your obligation of making sure foods are stored at safe temperatures.
Record 3: My cooking temperature checks
You are required to monitor and record that the internal temperature of one menu item reaches 75⁰C or above at least once per month. You should use a clean and sanitised probe thermometer to accurately check the internal temperature of food.
Record 4: How I use the 2 hour/4hour rule for high-risk food
This record should only be used if you are storing or displaying food in the temperature danger zone >5C - <60C.
You are required to write down your usual practice for using the 2hour/4hour rule and make sure you and your staff understand it. This record needs to be updated if your practices change.
Record 5: My probe thermometer accuracy checks
You are required to calibrate each probe thermometer at least once per year to make sure it works properly and it accurately records temperature. Thermometers must be accurate to +/-1°C and corrective action logged if they fail (e.g. new batteries required or thermometer replaced).
Further Information
If you have any questions, please contact the Environmental Health Unit on (03) 9784 1915
To print more of these records, please see the Related Documents of this page.
Or to download the full Food Safety Program template please visit: