ECE Safe Food Handler

Following the roll-out internationally of HACCP, New Zealand took steps to implement the same regime to improve our standards of food safety and suitability

The Food Act 2014 requires that all food provided to customers must be safe and suitable
This lesson explains what “Safe Food” is

The second ‘arm’ of the main purpose of the Food Act is that food sold must be suitable
Also this lesson covers the legal provisions of food safety and suitability in regards to donated food

In my experience I know that many people get confused about expiry dates and that even applies to some food workers
This lesson will make the terms crystal clear

In this lesson you will learn about the different keeping qualities (or shelf life) and extra care required of foods that are high risk (potentially hazardous foods)

In this lesson you will learn how to prevent adverse reaction and illness in those who are susceptible to food allergies

In this lesson you’re going to learn about the importance of having clean hands
Correctly washed and dried hands is important for everyone and is essential for all food handlers

In this lesson you will learn how, and why you need to keep food premises clean

In this lesson you will learn why being smart and clean and avoiding undesirable habits is important for both food safety and providing customer confidence

In this lesson you will learn the importance of preventing anyone who has an infectious disease from contaminating food

Campylobacter gastroenteritis is one of the most common food-borne illnesses in the world including New Zealand
Raw meats are often source of infection (particularly chicken) so avoiding cross-contamination and cooking raw food safely is essential to avoid any incidence of this disease

In this lesson we are going to learn about one of the most common ‘tummy bug’ infections that can affect any institutional type place including ECE’s
Although not strictly a food poisoning disease the way the virus is spread means that cross-infection involving food can be a significant cause of spreading the disease

Listeria is a very common disease and although the vast majority of us would hardly now when we had it, in a few cases it can lead to an extremely severe, dangerous illness
The relevance for ECE’s is that it has most chance of severe illness in very young children and particularly unborn babies during pregnancy.

HACCP (pronounced “hassep”) is the internationally used method to manage food safety risks
This lesson gives you the background to what it is and how it is used today in NZ food businesses

It is almost inevitable that something will go wrong
Checking critical food safety steps, writing these down and reacting swiftly when there’s a stuff up is a key element to producing safe and suitable food and avoiding possible catastrophes!

Keeping records are a legal requirement for any registered food business under the Food Act 2014
Keeping good records can be a business life-saver and you will be really thankful you have them when they are really needed

Here you are at the finish line!
Well done – you deserve it
See how to complete the course to get your well earned certificate of achievement.