While we love sharing fresh and delicious food, there’s no denying that food service carries risk. With one in ten people falling ill from eating contaminated food each year, being aware of the dangers of unsafe practices in food service is essential.
World Food Safety Day 2024’s theme is “Prepare for the unexpected”, recognising that it’s everyone’s responsibility to be prepared for any food safety incident, no matter how mild or severe. Cater Care’s stringent Food Safety Program, our “whole of business” approach to food safety, and the expertise of our Food Safety team underline our commitment to ensuring our diners can enjoy their meals – safely.
Cater Care’s Food Safety Program
Our extensive Food Safety Program guides the entirety of our approach to serving food that is safe, suitable, and culturally appropriate at every meal. It serves as the all-in-one compilation of information and resources team members need to engage in best practices, and all requirements within are compliant with all State and Territory Food Acts as well as ISO 22000:2005.
At a high level, our Food Safety Program requires all our team members to:
The Food Safety Program covers procedures for every step of food provision, such as receival, storage, thawing, preparation, cooking, texture modification, cooling, display, reheating, delivering, and service. It addresses potential hazards at each step, such as microbiological growth and allergens, and guides staff on how to best mitigate them.
The Food Safety Program is available to all staff at any time, as we recognise that only through training and empowering our staff can we rest assured that our consumers will always receive safe and suitable food that meets their dietary requirements and avoids any adverse events.
Food safety is a team sport
While the finer details of the Food Safety Program guide our staff at an individual level, Cater Care is committed to taking a holistic approach to food safety policy at an organisational level as well. Food safety is prioritised at every step to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks.
Several operational departments of the business play a key role in building Cater Care’s approach to food safety:
Finally, our organisation is committed to developing a no blame culture around food safety. This policy encourages staff to immediately identify and report all potential food safety risks, regardless of their origin, and to focus on resolving the issue rather than pointing fingers.
And every team needs its captain
Our Food Safety Team serves as the tip of the spear on our mission to deliver safe, delicious food every time. They’re responsible for the development and continual review of the Food Safety Program and also undertake several additional tasks to ensure that there’s never a lapse in our commitment to safety.
The team hold all the same accreditations as outside industry inspectors, and are responsible for regularly auditing all sites to ensure policies and procedures are closely followed. They’re responsible for continually adapting our food safety strategy to anticipate and mitigate potential avenues of risk, and lead the interdepartmental Food Safety Review team to ensure that the trust in our ability to deliver food safely remains unshakeable.
John Fallon, our Food Safety specialist, says it best:
“Ensuring the Food Safety message is simple to understand along with having a ‘no blame’ food safety culture that encourages staff to identify and report potential food safety risks has been pivotal to ensuring Cater Care remains prepared for any unexpected food safety incidents.”
Served with a side of food safety
We’re known for our commitment to ensuring our food Looks Good, Tastes Good, but behind the scenes of that commitment is a great deal of focus and endless work to find ways to further improve our food safety. The rigorous requirements outlined by our Food Safety Program administered by our Food Safety Team means that we’re almost always prepared for the unexpected.
If you have any questions about food safety at your institution, are worried about the complex requirements behind compliance, or just want the peace of mind that comes from professional chefs taking care of the catering, then reach out to one of our Business Development team members via the details below.
For Aged Care:
Jonathan Storer
Client Development Manager – Cater Care
Ph: 0424 190 566
jonathan.storer@catercare.com.au
For Education:
David O’Brien
Client Development Manager – gather by Cater Care
Ph: 0424 190 566
david.obrien@catercare.com.au
For Remote:
West Australia:
Brad Walther
Client Development Manager
Ph: 08 9241 2824 M: 0488 745 357
bradley.walther@catercare.com.au
All other States and Territories:
Hayley Steyn
Senior Client Development Manager
Ph: 07 3851 8425 M: 0429 542 682
hayley.steyn@catercare.com.au
