Exhibition Item

Maitland City Council’s draft Food Safety Policy 2024 incorporates the risk-based inspection program. 

Council’s Food Safety Policy has been reviewed and modified to include, clarify, and strengthen Maitland City Council’s Food Safety Program in line with the NSW Food Authority guidelines, recommendations and FPAR Partnership Agreement.  

The proposed changes of the Policy are summarised as follows:

• Significantly streamlining and condensing the information provided in the Policy to allow it to be easily read and interpreted. 
• Section 6: Inclusion of ‘Poor Performing Food Business’. This new section provides the framework to assist with prioritising certain food businesses who are not operating in accordance with the Food Safety Standards. 
• Food businesses who fit the following criteria may be required to subject to two inspections per financial year: 
• The food business received an FPAR rating of greater than 15 or more,
• The food business received a single 8 point critical food handling noncompliance,
• The food business is a “poor performer” where the same breaches are being identified and not acted up by the business proprietor, 
• Council is receiving several justified food complaints about the food business through the year, or 
• The food business has been issued with an Improvement Notice, Penalty Infringement Notice or prosecution within the last 12 months