Keeping food safe: Food Safety - Department of Health, Victoria, Australia

Keeping food safe

Online food safety training program

The Department of Health has developed "dofoodsafely", a free online food safety learning program for people interested in working with food or refreshing their food safety knowledge. To test your knowledge go to: dofoodsafely.

Food safety poster

The "Food Safety Poster" seeks to remind staff of key food safety messages, such as the temperature danger zone, cross-contamination and cleaning.

Food safety rules poster

Hand wash poster

The "Keep Hands Clean and Food Safe" poster outlines the different stages of hand washing and reminds staff about the importance of washing their hands.

Keep Hands Clean and Food Safe - Hand wash poster, June 2007 (914kb, pdf)

Food poisoning and how to prevent it

An increasing number of people are buying ready-to-eat food, fast food, and dining out. These changes in the food and way that people eat has increased existing food safety problems and created new ones. A significant problem is the risk of bacterial food poisoning.

This flyer explains:

What is food poisoning?
Why does it happen?
What can food handlers do to prevent it?

Food poisoning and how to prevent it, December 2010 (111kb, pdf)

Safe food storage and display

Food poisoning is a serious health problem. If food is not displayed or stored properly, bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels and cause food poisoning.

This flyer explains:

How to prevent food poisoning
What "high risk foods" are
The "temperature danger zone"
Cross-contamination.

Safe food storage and display in food businesses, January 2011 (85kb, pdf)

Hygienic food preparation and handling

Food poisoning is a serious health problem. All staff who handle food, regardless of their role or position, are responsible to ensure that they handle food safely.

This flyer explains how, by preparing and handling food hygienically, you can:

Protect other people from getting sick
Protect your job and reputation in the food industry
Protect your business.

Hygienic food preparation and handling in food business, December 2010 (98kb, pdf)

For further information about the Department of Health's free online food safety learning program go to: "dofoodsafely".

Personal hygiene for people working with food

Food poisoning is a serious health problem in the community. All staff that handle food, regardless of their role or position, have a responsibility to ensure that they handle food safely.

This flyer explains how good personal hygiene helps prevent food from being contaminated with food poisoning bacteria, so you can:

Protect other people from getting sick
Protect your job and reputation in the food industry
Protect your business.

Personal Hygiene for People Working with Food, December 2010 (61kb, pdf)

Egg Safety

Eggs are a highly nutritious everyday food, used in numerous different recipes in many different ways. However, like meat, seafood and dairy products, eggs have potential to be hazardous if not stored, handled and prepared safely.

The Chief Health Officer has issued advice on the safe storage and preparation of eggs to avoid the risk of Salmonella poisoning.

Advice for hospitals, residential aged care and children’s services

Salmonella illness can affect anyone, however the symptoms are often worse in children aged under five, adults aged over 65 and people with impaired immune systems. A Chief Health Officer Advisory and supplementary poster on egg safety have been issued to the food premises that exclusively cater for these at-risk groups of people.

Chief Health Officer Advisory on egg safety - October 2011

Egg safety in residential aged care, hospitals and children's services - poster - October 2011

Advice for restaurants, cafes and caterers

These businesses are required to have a Food Safety Program (FSP) that is suitable for the food preparation at the business. The Chief Health Officer has issued an Advisory for these businesses that prepare a number of different varieties of ready-to-eat foods containing eggs.

Chief Health Officer Advisory on egg safety for restaurants, cafes and caterers - April 2012

To view this document in Vietnamese, Arabic and Simplified Chinese Characters, please go to In your language.

Home delivery guide

Many people get food home delivered by supermarkets and other retail food businesses. This service is of major assistance to the aged, infirm, and disabled, and other people who find it difficult to get their food items home.

If food items can be delivered safely, home delivery can be an extremely helpful community service.

This guideline provides advice to those involved in home delivery about issues concerning perishable food, other than ready-to-eat meals, and the use of un-refrigerated transport vehicles.

Guideline for the un-refrigerated delivery of perishable foods, January 05 (63kb, pdf)

Food Safety

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