Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Policies and procedures may relate to:
food receiving, storage, preparation, display, service and disposal
methods of food hazard control for each critical point
systematic monitoring of hazard controls and record keeping
personal hygiene, suitable dress and personal protective equipment and clothing
record maintenance
corrective actions when hazards are found not to be under control
pest control
cleaning and sanitation
equipment maintenance.


Food hazards may be:
anything related to food, including work practices and procedures, that have a potential to harm the health or safety of a person
actual or potential
chemical, microbiological or physical
any food contaminated with chemical or microbiological elements
foods highly susceptible to microbiological contamination
food containing bacteria, moulds and yeast
food containing broken glass, metal or foreign objects
food containing chemicals and natural poisons
insects and vermin
processes where food is vulnerable to contamination including:
requirements for food to be touched by hand
requirements for re-thermalisation or defrosting
displays of food and buffets
working with temperatures that promote the rapid growth of micro-organisms.


Critical control points are those where there is high risk of contamination or food spoilage, including:
receiving
storing
preparing
processing
displaying
packaging
serving
transporting
disposing.


Food safety monitoring may involve:
monitoring and recording temperature of cold and hot storage equipment
monitoring and recording food temperatures using a temperature probe
checking and recording that food is stored within appropriate time limits of receipt of goods
visual examination of food for quality review
bacterial swabs and counts
chemical tests.


Incidents where food hazards are found not to be under control may include:
food poisoning
customer complaints
misuse of single use items
stocks of out-of-date foodstuffs
spoilt or contaminated food
unclean equipment
existence of pests and vermin.


Food types may include:
eggs
dairy
meat and fish
fruit and vegetables
dried goods
frozen goods.


Food prepared, served and sold to customers under other conditions may involve:
displaying any type of food for self-service, such as:
buffets
salad bars
condiments
tea and coffee
providing drink dispensing equipment
pre-packaging food items
displaying and selling pre-packaged food.


Ensuring the safety of food served and sold to customers under other conditions may involve:
supervising the display of food to prevent contamination by customers
removing contaminated food without delay
providing separate serving utensils for each dish
providing protective barriers
displaying food under temperature control
using packaging materials suitable for use on the particular foodstuff
ensuring that packaging is not damaged during packaging or display process
ensuring that damaged packaging does not allow contamination.


Items intended forsingle use may include:
disposable cutlery, e.g. plastic or wooden spoons or stirrers
disposable plates, mugs, cups and bowls
individually packaged sugars
individually packaged condiments, e.g. tomato sauce
individually packaged jams and spreads
individually packaged serves of coffee, tea and whitener
face wipes and serviettes.


Maintenance to ensure cleanliness and safe operation of equipment may involve:
removal of food waste
removal of grease
removal of dirt
removal of animal or pest waste and cleaning of affected area
recalibration of measurement and temperature controls.


Food identified for disposal may be:
subject to recall
not safe, or suspected of not being safe, for consumption
destroyed
disposed of so that it cannot be used for human consumption
returned to supplier.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency
Evidence of the following is essential:
ability to access and interpret safe food handling procedures and consistently apply these during day-to-day food handling activities
knowledge of critical control points and methods of food hazard control for each critical point
project or work activities that show the candidate's ability to apply safe food handling practices on multiple occasions across a range of different food handling circumstances to ensure consistency in the application of food safety procedures.


Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
access to a fully equipped industry-realistic food preparation environment, such as a commercial kitchen, catering production line, or food preparation area of a food outlet using the full range of equipment currently used in the service industries to store, prepare, display, serve and dispose of food
access to current regulatory documents distributed by key federal, state or territory, and local government agencies, such as plain English legislative publications, and codes and standards outlining food safety requirements
access to a food safety program inclusive of policies and procedures
use of real ingredients and food items.


Methods of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess the practical skills and knowledge required to implement food safety procedures. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
direct observation of the candidate completing tasks in the food handling facility according to food safety policies and procedures
case studies to assess ability to react to a range of incidents where hazards have not been controlled
oral or written questions to assess knowledge of food safety legislative requirements, policies and procedures
oral or written questions to assess knowledge of food hazards and methods of controlling hazards
review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:
any commercial cookery, commercial catering, patisserie, Asian cookery or food and beverage unit directly involving food preparation.


Assessing employability skills
Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.
Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.