Food Safety Supervisor

Your licenced food business must have a Food Safety Supervisor. This person must have the experience and skills relevant to day-to-day food safety handling. They should also have the authority to instruct all staff within the food business.

Who should be a Food Safety Supervisor

The food safety supervisor should be in a position to oversee food handling and be involved in the day-to-day food handling operations of the food business.
They must be ‘reasonably available’ as a point of contact for food handlers and authorised officers.
Reasonably available’ means the food safety supervisor works onsite and oversees food handling of high-risk unpackaged foods, or can be easily contacted (e.g. by phone).
It is not considered reasonable for a business to appoint someone as a food safety supervisor who does not regularly handle food as part of their normal duties, or is never onsite at a food business.

Role of the Food Safety Supervisor

The food safety supervisor makes sure the business is handling food safely so if something goes wrong, food that may be unsafe to eat is not processed further or served to consumers.

The role of the food safety supervisor is to:

make sure food safety risks are managed and issues are prevented or corrected
instruct staff, review and update business procedures, and inspect premises and food handling operations
share their food safety knowledge with other food handlers
foster a positive food safety culture, so food safety is a top priority in ‘the way we do things here’.

The business needs to make sure the food safety supervisor is able to fulfil these duties.

What are the requirements?

From 8 December 2023, food service, caterer and related retail businesses in Australia need to meet new food safety supervisor requirements.

Under Standard 3.2.2A - 11, category one and two businesses must appoint a certified food safety supervisor (FSS) before engaging in a ‘prescribed activity’ .

The certificate must be from either a registered training organisation or an organisation recognised by the relevant food regulator.
The certificate must have been obtained within the past 5 years.
The food safety supervisor is reasonably available to advise and supervise each food handler engaged in that prescribed activity.

Prescribed activities involve handling unpackaged potentially hazardous foods that are ready to eat, which are high risk.

What is a Category 1 and Category 2 business?

Category 1 business

A caterer or food service business that processes unpackaged potentially hazardous food into food that is both ready-to-eat and potentially hazardous food. The food is then served to a consumer to eat without any further processing. Category one (higher risk) businesses must implement all three management tools as follows: have certified food safety supervisors, trained food handlers and substantiation of critical food safety controls.

Category 2 business

A retailer of potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food, where unpackaged food is handled, but not made or processed onsite (other than slicing, weighing, repacking, reheating or hot-holding). Category two businesses must have a certified food safety supervisor and trained food handlers.