Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code - Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements

Standard 3.2.2 is titled Food Safety Practices and General Requirements. Its purpose is to set out specific requirements for food businesses and food handlers that, if complied with, will ensure food does not become unsafe or unsuitable. The Standard also says it specifies process control requirements to be satisfied at each step of the food handling process.

The Standard applies to all food businesses and food handlers in Australia in accordance with Standard 3.1.1. That is the starting point for any business reading it. This is not framed as a niche rule for only a few sectors. If your operation is a food business under the Code and you handle food, this Standard is likely to be part of your legal framework.

The text also includes an editorial note for businesses operating from a farm, vineyard, orchard or aquaculture facility. Those businesses are directed to the definition of food business in Standard 3.1.1 to determine whether they must comply. The note states that if they are involved in the substantial transformation of food or the sale or service of food directly to the public, they must comply with this Standard.

For business owners, the practical point is that the Standard follows the food handling chain from the start of operations through to disposal and recall. It also reaches staff conduct, premises cleanliness, equipment sanitation, temperature measurement and pest control. It should therefore be read as an operating standard for daily food handling, not just a high-level statement of food safety principles.

The Standard is structured around practical trigger points in a food business. It expressly covers food receipt, storage, processing, display, packaging, transportation, disposal and recall. That structure is useful because many compliance failures happen at handover points, not just during cooking or service.

One early trigger point is commencement of food handling operations. Before a food business starts any food handling operations, it must notify the appropriate enforcement agency of the required information. That includes contact details for the food business, including the name of the food business and the name and business address of the proprietor, the nature of the food business, and the location of all food premises within that agency's jurisdiction. When complying, the proprietor must answer all questions asked by the enforcement agency about those matters in the approved form. If any of that information is going to change, the business must notify the proposed change before it occurs.

Another trigger point is receiving food. A business must take all practicable measures to ensure it only accepts food that is protected from the likelihood of contamination. It must also be able to provide, to the reasonable satisfaction of an authorised officer on request, information about food on the premises, including the name and business address in Australia of the vendor, manufacturer or packer, or for imported food the importer, and the prescribed name or another name or description sufficient to indicate the true nature of the food.

If the food being received is potentially hazardous, the business must take all practicable measures to ensure it only accepts it at 5 degrees Celsius or below, or 60 degrees Celsius or above, unless the transporting business demonstrates that the temperature of the food, having regard to the time taken to transport it, will not adversely affect microbiological safety. Food intended to be received frozen must be frozen when accepted.

Storage is another key stage. Food must be stored so it is protected from the likelihood of contamination and so the environmental conditions do not adversely affect safety and suitability. Potentially hazardous food must be stored under temperature control, and food intended to be stored frozen must remain frozen.

Processing is one of the most detailed parts of the Standard. A business must process only safe and suitable food, take all necessary steps to prevent the likelihood of contamination, and where a process step is needed to reduce pathogens to safe levels, use a process step reasonably known to achieve microbiological safety. If potentially hazardous food is not undergoing a pathogen control step, the time it spends at temperatures that permit the growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms must be minimised.

The Standard gives a specific definition of temperature control. It means maintaining food at 5 degrees Celsius or below if that is necessary to minimise the growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms in the food so that the microbiological safety of the food will not be adversely affected for the time the food is at that temperature, or at 60 degrees Celsius or above, or at another temperature if the food business demonstrates that maintenance of the food at that temperature for the relevant period will not adversely affect microbiological safety.

This definition matters because it appears throughout the Standard. Potentially hazardous food must be stored under temperature control, displayed under temperature control, and transported under temperature control. If the food is intended to be frozen, it must remain frozen during storage, display and transportation.

The Standard also sets out a specific cooling rule for cooked potentially hazardous food. When cooling that food, a business must cool it from 60 degrees Celsius to 21 degrees Celsius within two hours, and then from 21 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius within a further four hours, unless the business demonstrates that another cooling process will not adversely affect microbiological safety.

There is also a specific reheating rule. When reheating previously cooked and cooled potentially hazardous food to hold it hot, the business must use a heat process that rapidly heats the food to 60 degrees Celsius or above, unless it can demonstrate that another heating process will not adversely affect microbiological safety.

The Standard separately requires a temperature measuring device at food premises where potentially hazardous food is handled. The device must be readily accessible and able to accurately measure the temperature of potentially hazardous food to plus or minus 1 degree Celsius. In practice, if your business handles chilled, hot-held or frozen potentially hazardous food, you should check not only your procedures but also whether your measuring equipment is available and accurate enough for the Standard.

Food display rules are detailed and practical. A business must, when displaying food, take all practicable measures to protect it from the likelihood of contamination. If unpackaged ready-to-eat food is displayed for self-service, the display must be effectively supervised so that any food contaminated by a customer, or likely to have been contaminated by a customer, is removed from display without delay. The business must provide separate serving utensils for each food or another dispensing method that minimises the likelihood of contamination, and provide protective barriers that minimise the likelihood of contamination by customers. These self-service rules do not apply to food in tamper resistant equipment or containers.

The Standard also says a business must not display for sale on any counter or bar any ready-to-eat food that is not intended for self-service unless it is enclosed, contained or wrapped so that it is protected from likely contamination. Potentially hazardous food on display must be under temperature control, and food intended to be displayed frozen must remain frozen.

When packaging food, the business must use packaging material that is fit for its intended use, not likely to cause food contamination, and must ensure there is no likelihood that the food may become contaminated during the packaging process.

When transporting food, the business must protect all food from the likelihood of contamination, transport potentially hazardous food under temperature control, and ensure potentially hazardous food intended to be transported frozen remains frozen during transportation.

Food disposal rules are also important. Food for disposal must be held and kept separate until it is destroyed or otherwise used or disposed of so that it cannot be used for human consumption, returned to its supplier, further processed in a way that ensures safety and suitability, or ascertained to be safe and suitable. Food for disposal includes food subject to recall, returned food, food that is not safe or suitable, and food reasonably suspected of not being safe or suitable. The business must clearly identify such food as returned food, recalled food, or food that is or may not be safe or suitable.

The Standard also prohibits resale of food already served to a person, unless it was completely wrapped when served and has remained completely wrapped.

Clause 12 imposes a specific recall obligation on food businesses engaged in the wholesale supply, manufacture or importation of food. Those businesses must have a system to ensure the recall of unsafe food, set out that system in a written document, make the document available to an authorised officer on request, and comply with the system when recalling unsafe food. The text also notes that businesses outside those categories do not have to have a recall system under clause 12, but all food businesses still need to comply with the disposal rules for recalled food under clause 11.

The Standard regulates both individual food handlers and the food business itself. A food handler must take all reasonable measures not to handle food, or surfaces likely to come into contact with food, in a way that is likely to compromise the safety and suitability of food.

Food handlers have reporting duties about illness and contamination risks. A food handler who has a symptom indicating they may be suffering from a foodborne disease, knows they are suffering from a foodborne disease, or is a carrier of a foodborne disease, must report that to their supervisor if at work, must not engage in food handling where there is a reasonable likelihood of food contamination, and if continuing in other work on the food premises must take all practicable measures to prevent food from being contaminated. A food handler suffering from a condition such as an infected skin lesion or discharges from the ear, nose or eye must also report it where there is a reasonable likelihood of contamination and take all practicable measures to prevent contamination. A food handler must notify their supervisor if they know or suspect they may have contaminated food while handling it.

Hygiene duties are detailed. Food handlers must take all practicable measures to ensure their body, anything from their body, and anything they are wearing does not contaminate food or food contact surfaces. They must prevent unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food, keep outer clothing appropriately clean, use only bandages and dressings on exposed body parts that are completely covered with a waterproofed covering, and must not eat, sneeze, blow or cough over unprotected food or food contact surfaces. They must not spit, smoke or use tobacco or similar preparations in areas in which food is handled, and must not urinate or defecate except in a toilet.

Hand washing duties are also specific. Food handlers must wash their hands whenever their hands are likely to be a source of contamination, immediately before working with ready-to-eat food after handling raw food, and immediately after using the toilet. When handling unprotected food or food contact surfaces, they must also wash before commencing or recommencing handling, immediately after smoking, coughing, sneezing, using a handkerchief or disposable tissue, eating, drinking or using tobacco or similar substances, and after touching hair, scalp or a body opening. Hand washing must use the provided facilities, soap or other effective means, warm running water, and thorough drying using a single use towel or another method not likely to transfer pathogenic microorganisms. There is a limited exception for temporary food premises if the appropriate enforcement agency has given written approval.

The food business has matching duties. It must ensure people known to have a foodborne disease, or known or reasonably suspected to have symptoms indicating one, do not handle food where there is a reasonable likelihood of contamination. It must ensure a person known or reasonably suspected to have a relevant condition who continues handling food takes all practicable measures to prevent contamination. A person excluded because they are known to have or carry a foodborne disease may resume handling food only after the business receives advice from a medical practitioner that the person no longer has, or carries, the disease.

The business must also maintain easily accessible hand washing facilities, maintain warm running water and soap or other cleaning items at or near each facility, ensure those facilities are only used for washing hands, arms and face, and provide single use towels or another effective drying method, plus a container for used towels if needed. There are limited written-approval exceptions for some private dwelling premises and temporary food premises.

Finally, the business must inform all food handlers of their health and hygiene obligations, keep health information confidential except in the limited ways allowed by the Standard, and take all practicable measures to ensure all people on the premises do not contaminate food, do not have unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food, and do not spit, smoke or use tobacco or similar preparations in areas where there is unprotected food or food contact surfaces.

The Standard requires food premises to be maintained to a standard of cleanliness where there is no accumulation of garbage except in garbage containers, recycled matter except in containers, food waste, dirt, grease or other visible matter. It also requires fixtures, fittings and equipment, relevant parts of vehicles used to transport food, and other items provided by the business to purchasers to transport food, to be kept to a standard of cleanliness where there is no accumulation of food waste, dirt, grease or other visible matter.

Some equipment has a specific clean and sanitary requirement. Eating and drinking utensils must be in a clean and sanitary condition immediately before each use. Food contact surfaces of equipment must be in a clean and sanitary condition whenever food that will come into contact with the surface is likely to be contaminated. The Standard explains that a clean and sanitary condition means the item is clean and has had heat, chemicals, heat and chemicals, or another process applied so that microorganisms are reduced to a level that does not compromise food safety and does not permit the transmission of infectious disease.

Maintenance is also a direct obligation. Food premises, fixtures, fittings and equipment, relevant parts of vehicles used to transport food, and other items provided by the business to purchasers to transport food must be maintained in a good state of repair and working order having regard to their use. Chipped, broken or cracked eating or drinking utensils must not be used for handling food.

Single use items are covered too. A business must take all practicable measures to ensure single use items do not come into contact with food or the mouth of a person if they are contaminated or reasonably suspected of being contaminated. If the single use item is intended to come into contact with food or the mouth of a person, the business must protect it from the likelihood of contamination until use and must not reuse it.

On animals and pests, the general rule is that live animals are not permitted in areas in which food is handled, other than seafood or other fish or shellfish, subject to the specific exceptions in the clause. A business must permit an assistance animal in areas used by customers. It may permit a dog that is not an assistance animal in an outdoor dining area, and may permit a cat or dog that is not an assistance animal on an aircraft dining or drinking area if the animal is in a leak proof container that prevents physical contact between a food handler and the animal. The business must also take all practicable measures to prevent pests entering the food premises and to eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests on the premises and relevant parts of vehicles used to transport food.

The compilation used here is dated 13 August 2025 and identifies Authorised Version F2025C00834 registered on 5 September 2025. The amendment history states that Standard 3.2.2 was published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 24 August 2000 as part of Amendment No. 51 and has been amended over time.

For practical use, businesses should not assume an older copy or a generic policy is enough. The amendment history records changes over the years, including a 2025 amendment to clause 24(3) dealing with animals. If your business is reviewing procedures, training, display methods, transport practices, illness reporting, hand washing facilities or recall arrangements, check the current authorised version first.

You should also check whether your business falls within the categories that trigger extra obligations under this Standard. For example, wholesale suppliers, manufacturers and importers need a written recall system. Businesses handling potentially hazardous food need temperature control and a suitable temperature measuring device. Temporary food premises may have limited written-approval exceptions for some hand washing requirements, but only where the appropriate enforcement agency has approved that in writing.

Because application depends partly on Standard 3.1.1, businesses should confirm scope when checking the current position. That is especially important for businesses operating from farms or similar primary production settings, and for businesses with unusual handling arrangements.