Food hygiene

Food hygiene is an important issue as it directly impacts on human health. Food that has not been stored, prepared or transported properly can cause food poisoning or suffer some reduction in nutritional value.

Some foods may be contaminated before they are handled, for example, foods that grow in the soil or have been in contact with dirty water (water from a septic tank or grey water from the kitchen).

The risk of disease from these foods can be reduced by safe methods of storage, transport and preparation. Some foods are more susceptible to the growth of bacteria, for example, meats, seafood, dairy products and most foods that require refrigeration.

Food poisoning is very easy to prevent if:

• the correct temperatures are maintained during storage and transport
• food handling practices are safe
• cross-contamination is avoided

Some of the food hygiene issues that are of particular concern in remote communities are:

• safety and hygiene in places where food is stored, prepared, handled and sold
• the selling of out-of-date foods
• the selling or serving of contaminated foods (weevils, discolouration, broken packets, mould, blown cans)
• storage and temperature of food in freezers, chillers and refrigerators, for example, milk products need to be kept constantly below a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius
• cooking temperatures high enough to kill harmful bacteria when food is being prepared for sale
• control of disease carrying pests
• transportation of food

See the 'Food and Nutrition' chapter

Time and temperature control

Time and temperature are critical when it comes to the transport of food, and storage between purchase and preparation.

Bacteria require time to multiply to dangerous levels that may cause illness. The temperatures between 5⁰C to 60⁰C are known as the temperature danger zone. Food should never be allowed to stand or be stored within the temperature danger zone.

Contact your local Environmental Health Officer for more information

Regulation of food hygiene

It is a part of the Environmental Health Officers' role to ensure that food is manufactured, stored, prepared and sold in a safe and hygienic manner. There are a number of standards and legislation that guide their work.

• Northern Territory Public Health (Shops, Eating Houses, Boarding Houses, Hostels and Hotels) Regulations 1982 cover hygiene requirements for shops and eating houses
• Northern Territory Food Act 1986 gives EHOs power to make sure that food premises are clean and sanitary and that food is labelled correctly and is safe to eat
• Northern Territory Food (Interim Provisions) Regulations 1986: this interim legislation has been put in place while national Model Food Hygiene Legislation is being developed. This legislation provides basic hygiene, structural and food handling requirements for food handlers and food premises
• The Australian Food Standards Code deals with the composition and selling requirements of food (including microbiological and chemical standards)
• The Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) is developing a series of food hygiene reforms aimed at national uniformity. It is expected that these will eventually replace existing state and Territory hygiene regulations (such as those above)
• The National Code for Construction and Fitout of Food Premises provides for good standards of hygiene that enable easy cleaning and maintenance

The Northern Territory Food and Nutrition Policy

Environmental health related actions have been included in the Northern Territory Food and Nutrition Policy and its implementation plan in order to improve the quantity, quality and affordability of the food supply in remote Aboriginal communities.

These actions are to:

• develop model food policies and food supply guidelines for remote area stores
• investigate food transport issues in remote areas
• investigate options to develop and apply suitable standards for remote store buildings and food handling safety
• promote awareness of consumer rights, refund and redress in relation to food purchases, especially in remote Aboriginal communities

		See the 'Food and Nutrition' chapter