Elements and Performance Criteria

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, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Policies and procedures may relate to:
cleaning and sanitation
hazards:
control methods for each critical control point
corrective actions
systematic monitoring of hazard controls and record keeping
equipment maintenance
food:
receiving
storage
preparation
display
service
disposal
personal considerations:
dress
hygiene
protective equipment and clothing
pest control
record maintenance
training.
Food hazards may be:
actual or potential
chemical
insects and vermin
microbiological:
bacteria
natural poisons
moulds
yeast
physical:
broken glass
metal
foreign objects
process-related where food is vulnerable to contamination:
displayed food
need for food to be touched by hand
re-thermalisation or defrosting
processes involving temperatures that promote rapid growth of microorganisms.
Critical control points are specific steps where control of food hazards is essential to maintain the safety and suitability of the food, including:
receiving
storing
preparing
processing
displaying
serving
packaging
transporting
disposing.
Food safety monitoring may involve:
bacterial swabs and counts
checking and recording that food is stored in appropriate timeframes
chemical tests
monitoring and recording food temperatures using a temperature measuring device accurate to plus or minus 1 degree Celsius
monitoring and recording temperature of cold and hot storage equipment
visual examination of food for quality review.
Incidents may include:
customer complaints
existence of pests and vermin
food not under temperature control
food poisoning
misuse of single use items
spoilt or contaminated food
stocks of outofdate foodstuffs
unclean equipment.
Food type may include:
dairy
dried goods
eggs
frozen goods
fruit and vegetables
meat and fish.
Safety of food served and sold to customers under other conditionsmay be achieved by:
packaging control:
using packaging materials suited to foods
monitoring of packaging damage
protective barriers
temperature control
supervision of food displays
utensil control:
providing separate serving utensils for each dish.
Food prepared,served and sold to customers under other conditions may relate to:
drink dispensing
prepackaged food items
self-service food.
Items intended for single use may include:
disposable items:
cutlery
crockery
face wipes and serviettes
individually packaged items:
beverages
condiments
jams and spreads.
Cleaning, sanitising and maintenancemay involve:
cleaning:
dirt
food waste
grease
pest waste removal
maintenance:
recalibration of measurement and temperature controls
minor faults
sanitising:
eating and drinking utensils
food contact surfaces.
Food identified for disposal must be held and kept separate and either:
clearly identified as 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
subject to recall.

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

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
consistently use safe food handling practices in a range of different food handling circumstances
demonstrate knowledge of food safety program and requirements, including critical control points and methods of food hazard control for each critical control point.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure use of:
an operational food preparation area or commercial kitchen with the fixtures, large and small equipment and workplace documentationdefined in the Assessment Guidelines; this can be a:
real industry workplace
simulated industry environment such as a training kitchen servicing customers
food ingredients and ready to eat food items
current plain English regulatory documents distributed by the national, state, territory or local government food safety authority
the Code
current commercial food safety programs, policies and procedures used for the management of food safety.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
direct observation of the individual completing tasks in a food handling facility
use of case studies to assess ability to react to a range of incidents where hazards have not been controlled
oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of food safety legislative requirements, policies and procedures, including hazard control measures
review of portfolios of evidence and thirdparty workplace reports of onthejob performance by the individual.
Guidance information for assessment
The assessor should design integrated assessment activities to holistically assess this unit with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role, for example:
SITXFSA101 Use hygienic practices for food safety
any commercial cookery, commercial catering, patisserie, Asian cookery or food and beverage unit involving food preparation.