Inspection, Food Safety Glossary

A visit by an authorised officer to check that a food business is complying with food safety law. An inspection is an on-site assessment of a food business by an authorised officer, usually an environmental health officer from the local council, to check compliance with the Food Standards Code and the relevant state or territory Food Act. Officers observe practices, examine the premises and equipment, review records and may take samples. Inspections may be routine, scheduled according to the business's risk classification, or unannounced, and can also be triggered by a complaint or a reported illness. Officers have powers under the Food Act to enter food premises during business hours, and the inspection is the main way regulators verify that a business is operating safely. During a routine inspection an officer typically checks temperature control of cold and hot food, cleaning and sanitising, pest control, personal hygiene, food storage and labelling, and whether a food safety supervisor and required records are in place. Minor issues may be raised verbally, while more serious ones are recorded in a written report. Depending on what is found, an inspection can result in advice, an improvement notice, an infringement notice or, for serious risk, a prohibition order. Businesses that prepare well by keeping their premises clean, records up to date and staff trained generally move through inspections smoothly and reduce the chance of enforcement action. An environmental health officer arrives unannounced at a busy Sydney takeaway, checks fridge temperatures and cleaning records, notes that a cold display is running too warm, and records the issue in a report with a date by which it must be fixed.