Many people enter the broader food industry for many reasons, for some it’s their first opportunity. This means that there are great opportunities for success, and at the same time, high levels of competition and risk.
Issues around food safety and compliance and good business practice are generally overlooked.
It is crucial that business owners and managers understand Australia’s food safety laws and have strategies in place to achieve compliance and manage business risk. Receiving support and ongoing advice to ensure you are fulfilling your responsibilities is a must.
Let me highlight a case study for you.
Canberra Times Journalist Alexandra Back (and colleagues) reported on one of the largest Salmonella outbreaks to hit Canberra in May, 2013. This outbreak of food poisoning occurred at a Canberra restaurant, within one week of opening and affected 161 customers, after they were served a potato salad with a raw egg ailoi.
The Canberra Hospital’s emergency department at the time was working to full capacity; and according to Alexandra at the time, some victims were understood to still be suffering long-term health problems.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Health investigation identified eggs supplied by a Victorian egg producer was the source of the outbreak.
This incident came at a considerable cost for the restaurant: paying out an estimated $1 million in compensation to those affected; loss of the business and unwanted attention from the regulator and media.
The owners of the restaurant were charged with criminal offences but the Magistrate found the case was not proved.
Food businesses need to have in place well trained employees, backed up by sound business practices to ensure they are managing all business risks. Good business practice demands the documenting of all procedures and practices and through careful implementation and monitoring this will ensure compliance and minimise risk.
In the blog article Ready Made Food Safety Tools For The Foodservice Trade we discuss these points in some detail.
Don’t take unnecessary risks with the health of your customers, your employees or the future of your business. Use Think ST Solution’s food safety tools and begin your journey informed, well connected and prepared.
Think ST Solutions offers you practical solutions at a management level and to your staff whether you operate in hospitals, aged care facilities, restaurants, hotels or the food industry generally. We specialise in developing useful tools to assist you in the areas of food safety, strategic planning, business management, risk and compliance training and easy to implement business consultancy solutions