Food Act Report 2009/2010 - SA Health - SA.Gov.au

Eastern Health AuthorityThe food handler training session ‘Preventing Kitchen Nightmares – A Guide to Food Safety Fundamentals’continued into its second successful year. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) conducted seven training sessionswith 117 people attending. There was also a request from a food business for in-house training, which was attendedby 20 staff.On 12 November 2009, the Authority took part in Food Safety Week by arranging a display stand at Prospect’sNorthpark Shopping Centre. The aim was to remind people just how important food safety is in preventing theoccurrence of life threatening food poisoning. EHOs provided advice and answered questions on food hygiene issues,and delivered a range of promotional materials and gifts that generated public interest and encouraged participation.There was a positive reaction from the community and information was well received.Fairs and Special EventsThe introduction of the temporary events booklet in 2008 has seen EHOs and Special Event Coordinators fromconstituent councils working together, resulting in an improvement in communication between event organisersand stall holders. The introduction of the booklet, strong support from the constituent councils and EHO attendanceat stall holder meetings has prompted a significant rise in the number of ‘temporary event notifications’ and animprovement in food safety.Flinders Ranges CouncilFlinders Ranges Council identified a need for information sessions on food safe practice and health and hygieneawareness across the Flinders Shared Services Group (District Councils of Mount Remarkable, Orroroo Carrieton,Peterborough and The Flinders Ranges Council).Students at the Hawker Area School learnt about health and hygiene, which involved discussions of personal hygieneand interactive hand washing activities during a day session and the following day saw five industry persons attend aone day food safe practice session at the Hawker Area School home economics room. Attendees were provided withinformation on best practice in safe food management and personal hygiene. The information sessions were wellreceived by both students and food handlers.City of Holdfast BayThe Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) at the City of Holdfast Bay have used sampling as an educational tool forspecific food practices to improve compliance with the Food Safety Standards and to ensure the production of safefood. An example is the promotion of effective hand washing and temperature control. EHOs targeted businessesselling potentially hazardous ready-to-eat foods that have been handled by gloved or bare hands and that store thefood outside of temperature control. Officers took food samples and used the results to remind food handlers of theimportance of good hand washing and the use of the two hour/four hour rule.In addition to the planned projects, the City of Holdfast Bay’s EHOs were filmed by a professional film crew for anupcoming television program aimed at showing regulatory officers in a positive light, similar to Channel 7’s BorderSecurity program. EHOs were followed by the film crew for three days, one of which captured their food samplingprogram. The Council agreed to the project because it believes that showing EHOs on national television willdemonstrate the positive role regulatory staff has have on the community’s health and safety.Light Regional CouncilLight Regional Council in conjunction with TAFE SA’s Barossa Valley Campus ran a one-day accredited Food SafetyCourse at its Kapunda offices. The course was promoted in the local print media and was targeted at those foodhandlers who work in community and charitable organisations. The course was highly successful with more than30 participants completing the course on the day and obtaining a recognised food safety and skills credential. TheCouncil also undertook food promotion in the local media at Easter to promote hygiene tips for those entertainingfamily and friends over the Easter long weekend.page 31Food Act Report Year ending 30 June 2010