Food safety software for Australian cafes. Manage temperature logs, cleaning records, allergen tracking and council audits — built for busy cafe kitchens.
In Australia, cold potentially hazardous food on display — sandwiches, salads, cream cakes, cut fruit — must be kept at 5°C or below under the FSANZ Food Standards Code. Front-of-house cabinets are opened constantly and warmed by lighting and sun, so they drift easily. FoodSafety HQ lets you set a 5°C threshold, log readings at open, mid-service and close, and alerts you when a cabinet goes out of range so you can act before food safety is compromised.
Use the 2-hour/4-hour rule for ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food in the 5°C–60°C danger zone. Under 2 hours total, it can be refrigerated and used again; 2 to 4 hours total, use it immediately; over 4 hours total, discard it. The times are cumulative across the whole day, not reset each time an item goes back in the fridge. FoodSafety HQ helps you record when items go on display so you can manage that time budget.
Environmental health officers typically review temperature records for fridges and display units, cleaning schedules and their completion, staff training and Food Safety Supervisor evidence, allergen information, pest control, and general hygiene and premises condition. Inspections are often unannounced. FoodSafety HQ keeps all of these records time-stamped and instantly retrievable, so you can produce months of history in minutes rather than searching a paper diary.
In most states and territories, businesses handling unpackaged potentially hazardous food — which includes most cafes — must have a qualified Food Safety Supervisor who is reasonably available to staff, and Standard 3.2.2A reinforces this for many food-service businesses. The exact rules, accepted certificates and refresh periods vary by state, territory and sometimes council, so check your local requirements. FoodSafety HQ tracks FSS and staff certificates and alerts you before they expire.
Keep an allergen register for every display item and menu product, including supplier-made cakes, and update it whenever a recipe or supplier changes. Prevent cross-contact by using separate utensils and avoiding flour dusting near gluten-free items. Even for unpackaged or made-to-order food you must give customers accurate allergen information on request. FoodSafety HQ lets you update allergen tags instantly and generate customer QR codes for your display cabinet.
PEAL stands for Plain English Allergen Labelling, introduced under Standard 1.2.3 of the Food Standards Code to standardise how declared allergens are named so customers see consistent terms like 'wheat' and 'milk'. It applies most directly to packaged food, but any cafe must still be able to provide accurate allergen information for unpackaged and made-to-order items. FoodSafety HQ helps you maintain that information and keep it consistent across your range.
A practical cafe keeps temperature records for fridges and display units, cleaning schedules and completion logs, delivery/receiving checks, an allergen register, staff training and Food Safety Supervisor evidence, and pest control records. Since 8 December 2023, Standard 3.2.2A has required many businesses handling unpackaged potentially hazardous food to keep evidence of safe practices. FoodSafety HQ captures all of these digitally so they are complete and retrievable.
Coffee equipment contacts milk, so it falls under your food safety cleaning. Purge and wipe the steam wand after every use, backflush group heads and rinse milk jugs through the day, soak portafilters and empty the grinder at close, and run deeper weekly and monthly tasks such as detergent backflushing and descaling per the manufacturer's instructions. FoodSafety HQ provides daily, weekly and monthly cleaning checklists so espresso equipment is cleaned and recorded consistently.
Yes. The system scales from a single independent cafe up to multi-site operations. Small cafes benefit most from the simplicity of quick digital checklists, phone-based staff training, and always being audit-ready — without the cost and gaps of paper diaries. You get the same council-ready records a larger operator would, sized for a small team.
No. Software supports compliance by making records easy to capture, retrieve and prove, but it does not replace a qualified Food Safety Supervisor, properly trained staff, or your legal obligations under the Food Standards Code. FoodSafety HQ is a tool to help you run and evidence safe practices; the responsibility for safe food handling remains with the business. This page is general guidance, not legal advice — confirm requirements with your local council.