Elements and Performance Criteria

Hepatitis A virus
Norwalk virus
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
V. vulnificus
Salmonell spp
pathogenic Escherichia coli.

oysters: Pacific, Sydney rock, Angassi (native) and pearl
mussels
pipis
clams: strawberry and razor
cockles: sand, dog, blood and mud
scallops and other adductor bivalves, including pearl oyster meat (unless adductor muscle only).

common origins of chemical contamination, including:
phycotoxins: harmful algal blooms such as amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP), diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)
pesticides
water additives
toxic metals
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

obtaining evidence to confirm that a HACCP-based food safety program is complete and effective and will deliver the expected food safety outcomes.

the application of:
existing Australian legislative requirements
challenge tests
peer reviewed scientific papers
targeted scientific reports
validation already carried out in other jurisdictions and recognised by the responsible authority
mathematical modelling, e.g. predictive microbiology models
industry codes of practice (where implementation by food business is verified during audits).

methods and procedures used to carry out monitoring, including sampling and testing to provide evidence that the specifications set by relevant legislation and codes of practice continue to be met.

Australian shellfish quality assurance programs administered by state and territory shellfish control authorities.

standards or technical specifications set by the system owner based on and in addition to regulatory requirements that relate specifically to food safety.

Relevant legislation, codes of practice and technical standards relating to bivalve molluscs may include:
Food Standards Code 4.2.1: Primary Production and Processing Standards for Seafood (Australia only), FSANZ
Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program: Operations Manual, May 2005
AQIS Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program, Export Standards, 2004
state and territory regulations, codes of practice and guidelines.

Role of government in overseeing implementation of shellfish quality programs:
responsibility and capacity to control food safety hazards is shared by the state and territory governments through the relevant state authority responsible for managing harvesting areas and by the farmer who is responsible for managing the harvest and post-harvest handling and storage.

Prerequisite programs:
are also referred to as support programs or acronyms such as good agricultural practice (GAP) and good hygienic practice (GHP)
can be divided into two categories:
infrastructure and maintenance programs which may include:
layout, design and construction of buildings and facilities
supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities
equipment, including sanitary design, preventative maintenance, calibration and cleaning and sanitation
support services, including waste and sewage disposal
pest control
operational prerequisite programs which may include:
personal hygiene
measures for the prevention of cross-contamination
packaging and labelling procedures
chemical storage
employee training
document control
internal audit programs
traceability and recall programs
product integrity and security
cold chain management
inspecting and testing regimes, including analytical and microbiological testing
control of non-conforming product, processes and facilities.

Relaying refers to:
the transfer of shellfish from growing areas (including restricted areas, conditional restricted areas in the open status or conditional approved areas in the closed status) to approved or conditional approved areas in the open status
the purpose of relaying is to achieve the required reduction of pathogens as measured by the faecal coliform indicator group or poisonous or deleterious substances that may be present, using the ambient environment as a treatment process.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can verify that food safety programs covering growing and harvesting bivalve molluscs meet regulatory, industry and business standards.
Assessment must confirm that the candidate can participate in audits of HACCP-based food safety programs to demonstrate ability and knowledge of technical aspects of growing and harvesting bivalve molluscs. Audit scenarios must include at least one audit involving relaying, depuration or wet storage.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in an environment where bivalve molluscs are grown and harvested.
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints.

The following resources must be available:

food safety programs covering bivalve mollusc growing and harvesting processes
food safety related documentation typical of commercial growing and harvesting businesses and used for the purpose of verification
plant and equipment that would typically be used in a commercial bivalve mollusc growing and harvesting business.

Method of assessment
This unit only covers the technical skills and knowledge related to the specific area of risk. Generic food safety auditing skills and knowledge are covered in prerequisite units. While participation in audit processes should follow good auditing practice as specified by prerequisite units, formal assessment of generic food safety auditing competence does not need to be repeated when assessing this unit.
The audits conducted for the purpose of assessment must be witnessed by an auditor competent to audit bivalve mollusc growing and harvesting processes.

Communicating ideas and information
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Collecting analysing and organising information
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Planning and organising activities
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Working with others and in teams
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Using mathematical ideas and techniques
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Solving problems
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Using technology
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