Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
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.
Licensing/certification requirements
Licensing and registration arrangements are determined by system owners
Food safety hazards
A food safety hazard is a biological, chemical, or physical agent in, or condition of, food with the potential to cause an adverse health effect in humans (defined in 'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System and Guidelines for its Application', Codex Alimentarius Commission)
Biological food safety hazards
Common biological food safety hazards include but are not limited to:
Salmonella spp
Campylobacter jejuni
Bacillus cereus
Clostridium perfringens
Clostridium botulinum
Cryptosporidium
Pathogenic escherichia coli
Giardia
Listeria moncytogenes
Shigella spp
Staphylococcus aureus
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Yersinia enterocolitica
Hepatitis A virus
Norwalk virus
Classifications by type of micro-organism include:
bacteria
viruses
moulds/fungi
parasites
algae
Chemical food safety hazards
Common origins of chemical contamination may include:
cleaning chemicals
pesticides
veterinary residues
chemical additives
allergenic substances
toxic metals
nitrites, nitrates and N-nitroso compounds
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
plasticizers and packaging migration
phytotoxins
zootoxins
Physical food safety hazards
Physical food safety hazards refer to objects not normally found in food which may cause illness or injury to the consumer
Acceptable levels
Acceptable levels define the level of a particular hazard in the end product that is acceptable to ensure food safety. Acceptable levels are typically defined by:
the Food Standards Code
commonwealth, state or territory legislation or codes
industry codes of practice
international protocols (CODEX Alimentarius)
customer food safety requirements (including intended use)
Prerequisite programs
Prerequisite programs are also referred to as support programs, such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP).
Prerequisite programs can be divided into two categories.
Infrastructure and maintenance programs. These may include:
layout, design and construction of buildings and facilities
supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities
equipment, including preventative maintenance, sanitary design and accessibility for maintenance and cleaning
support services, including waste and sewage disposal
Operational prerequisite programs. These may include:
personal hygiene
cleaning and sanitation
pest control
measures for the prevention of cross-contamination
packaging and labelling procedures
supplier assurance
chemical storage
employee training
maintenance
calibration
document control
internal audit programs
traceability and recall programs
on-farm food safety schemes
inspecting and testing regimes, including analytical and microbiological testing
Critical control point
Critical control point is a step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level
Critical limit
Critical limit refers to criterion which separates acceptability from unacceptability
Food supply chain
Food supply chain refers to a sequence of stages and operations involved in the production, processing, distribution and handling of food from primary production to consumption
Growth requirements
Factors which influence the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms may include:
temperature
water activity
gases
pH
time
moisture
nutrients
Validation
Validation refers to obtaining evidence to confirm that a HACCP-based food safety program is complete and effective and will deliver the expected food safety outcomes
Validation evidence
Validation evidence confirms that control measures are capable of being consistently effective and may include the application of:
existing Australian legislative requirements
challenge tests
peer reviewed scientific papers
targeted scientific reports
validation already carried out in other jurisdictions and recognised by the responsible authority
mathematical modelling (e.g. predictive microbiology models)
industry codes of practice (where implementation by food business is verified during audits)

EVIDENCE GUIDE
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
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to establish or validate specific control measures in a food safety program based on demonstration of the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards.
Assessment must be carried out in a manner that recognises the cultural and literacy requirements of the assessee and is appropriate to the work performed. Competency in this unit must be achieved in accordance with food safety standards and regulations.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of ability to:
select a food supply chain and identify:
known biological food safety hazards that could occur across the chain and could present a risk in food at the point of consumption
likely patterns of growth and transmission from source of contamination to onset of consumer symptoms for pathogens likely to occur in the supply chain, including threshold levels
sources of chemical and physical contamination that could present a food safety risk at the time of food consumption, across the chain
impact and indicators of the presence of biological or chemical food safety hazards throughout the food chain
acceptable levels of contamination. These may be established by reference to relevant legislation and/or reference to system requirements
select one stage in the food supply chain (which must be a medium or high risk business or process) and establish or validate control measures and verification records and procedures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment may occur in a real or simulated food business context where the simulated context provides access to food safety programs for a multi-staged food supply chain which includes the point of delivery to the consumer.
The selected supply chain must include at least one medium or high risk business and/or process and provide opportunity to apply a depth and breadth of food safety knowledge.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods should be considered to gather sufficient and valid evidence of competency:
observation and documentation showing the identification of critical aspects of a food chain
questioning to test the level and application of knowledge
workplace example or scenario to produce validated control measures and verification records and procedures for food safety hazards.

Guidance information for assessment
To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.