Food Handling Basics

Safe food handling is always important, but particularly so in healthcare settings, where you are catering to vulnerable or sick people who are highly susceptible to the consequences of foodborne illness or infection.

Each year, there are an estimated 4.67 million in cases of food poisoning in Australia with 47,900 of cases requiring hospitalisation (FSANZ 2025a).

These cases are largely preventable. It only takes a few simple steps to reduce the risk of food poisoning (FSANZ 2025a).

Preventative measures against food poisoning include observing basic personal hygiene techniques and careful food preparation, storage and transport.

Food Safety Facts

• The temperature danger zone for food safety is between 5°C and 60°C. Outside of this zone, bacteria don’t grow easily.
• The best way to defrost frozen food is in the fridge or microwave. Leaving food on the bench to defrost leaves it vulnerable to bacterial growth, as the outer part of the food will thaw faster than the middle.
• Symptoms of food poisoning typically take one to three days to develop, so the most recently consumed food should not be assumed to be the source of illness.
• Food poisoning can be more severe than an upset stomach. It can be much more serious, and in some cases, deadly.
• Food safety cannot be judged by appearance, smell or taste, as harmful pathogens that cause food poisoning, such as Salmonella and Listeria, can be undetectable to the senses.
• Dried foods like rice and pasta become high-risk once rehydrated, because rice in particular carries Bacillus cereus, a hardy bacterium that is difficult to eliminate through cooking and multiplies if not refrigerated promptly.
• The five-second rule is ineffective, as bacteria transfer to dropped food within seconds, although dry food on a dry surface presents a lower risk.
• Raw chicken should not be washed before cooking, as this does not remove bacteria and instead spreads them onto hands, surfaces and utensils.

(Healthy WA 2026; AIFS 2019)

Food Handling Under the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards

Standard 6: Food and Nutrition - Outcome 6.3: Provision of food and drink (Action 6.3.3) under the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards advises registered aged care care providers to ensure all meals, drinks and snacks provided are prepared and served safely (DoHDA 2025b).

Food Handling Under the Aged Care Act 2024

On 1 November 2025, the Aged Care Act 2024 also introduced separate requirements for Commonwealth-funded providers delivering meals to older people at home and in the community.

Under the Act, these providers are directed to have systems and processes in place to ensure that all meals, snacks and drinks are prepared and stored safely.

This means giving appropriate consideration to cooking, storage and transport methods, so that the correct food safety precautions are applied at every stage of delivery. Providers should also be aware that certain foods carry a higher risk of food poisoning and are best avoided or minimised (e.g. chilled seafood and some cheeses) (DoHDA 2025a).

Food Handling Basics

Keep the following at the forefront of your mind when handling food:

• Clean
• Chill
• Cook
• Separate

Clean

Always wash (vigorously and for at least 20 seconds) and dry your hands:

• Before you begin preparing food
• After handling raw meat, fish, eggs or vegetables with soil
• After going to the bathroom
• After blowing your nose
• After touching an animal
• After touching sores or cuts
• After handling garbage

(Healthdirect 2024; FSANZ 2025c)

For a comprehensive guide on how to properly perform hand hygiene, see Ausmed's module on Hand Hygiene Essentials.

If you’ve experienced infection, diarrhoea or vomiting, avoid handling food for at least 48 hours after your symptoms disappear (Healthdirect 2024).

Wipe down benches before and after use (SCHN 2025).

To avoid cross-contamination, keep utensils and cutting boards used for raw and ready-to-eat foods separate and wash them with warm, soapy water between uses (Healthdirect 2024).

Chill

As a general guideline, food that must be kept cold should be stored at or below 5°C to prevent the growth of bacteria that can lead to food poisoning. Frozen food should be kept at -18°C or colder. Use a thermometer to check these temperatures (Food Safety Information Council 2020).

• After shopping, store cold foods as quickly as possible in the fridge and keep them in the fridge until eaten. A cooler bag or ice-brick can help keep products cool in the car.
• Mark foods that are to be frozen with the date you freeze them. While food can be kept in the freezer for long periods of time, its colour and texture will change.
• Cool leftovers quickly.

(FSANZ 2025c; Food Safety Information Council 2020; Healthdirect 2024)

Cook

Make sure meat is thoroughly cooked and that the centre of cooked food is at least 75°C.

• Serve hot food steaming at above 60ºC.
• Do not reheat food more than once.
• Cook poultry, minced meat and sausages all the way through until the juices run clear and ensure there is no pink left. A thermometer should be used to check internal temperature reached.
• Defrost raw meats thoroughly before cooking.
• Always follow cooking instructions on packaged foods.

(Healthdirect 2024; Food Safety Information Council 2020; FSANZ 2025c)

Separate

Raw meat, fish, poultry and raw vegetables can contain large numbers of bacteria. For this reason, protective measures must be taken to prevent bacteria from spreading.

• Keep raw food and ready-to-eat food separate to avoid cross-contamination.
• Avoid cross-contamination by keeping utensils and cutting boards used for raw and ready-to-eat foods separate and wash them with warm, soapy water in between uses.
• Wash your hands between handling raw food and ready-to-eat food.
• Food should be stored in covered containers in the fridge. Put raw meats and poultry at the bottom of the fridge so the juices don’t contaminate food on lower shelves.
• Don't place cooked meat back on the same plate the raw meat was previously on.

(FSANZ 2025c; Healthdirect 2024)

Food Allergies and Declared Ingredients

Beyond preventing foodborne pathogens, Standard 6: Food and Nutrition instructs registered aged care providers to manage allergen risks to keep vulnerable people safe (DoHDA 2025b). When someone has a food allergy, their immune system overreacts to proteins in food that are harmless to most other people (FSANZ 2025d; DoFoodSafely 2025).

Common food allergies include:

• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Milk
• Eggs
• Sesame seeds
• Fish and shellfish
• Soy
• Lupin
• Wheat

(FSANZ 2025d)

Food allergies are a serious health risk. Even a tiny amount of an allergen can cause a severe or life-threatening reaction (anaphylaxis) in some people. When preparing food, you play a critical role in ensuring the food served is safe for people with food allergies (DoFoodSafely 2025).

It's important to understand the difference between food allergies and food intolerances. A food intolerance means the person's body has difficulty digesting a certain food. Food intolerances can cause mild discomfort and symptoms such as rashes, digestive issues or headaches, but they do not involve the person's immune system and, in most cases, are not severe or life-threatening (FSANZ 2025d; Healthdirect 2023).

You might also encounter someone with coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition where gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye, triggers an immune reaction.

Unlike a food allergy, coeliac disease is not an immediate allergic response, but it can still cause serious, long-term health issues if gluten is consumed, even in very small amounts.

People with coeliac disease must follow a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. For chefs, cooks and food service staff, this means it's critical to avoid cross-contamination during food preparation.

Even tiny traces of gluten from shared chopping boards, utensils, oil or toasters can cause harm. Understanding this level of care is essential to keeping people with coeliac disease safe and well (NSW Food Authority 2024; Healthdirect 2026).

Food labelling laws in Australia

Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) laws were introduced to make allergen information clearer on food labels, helping people easily identify common allergens. These requirements were updated in February 2024 to make allergy declarations even clearer and easier to find.

Under PEAL laws, all packaged foods must follow strict labelling requirements to ensure that allergy information is clearly stated. Food that isn't packaged must have allergy information displayed next to the food, or this information should be accessible from the supplier (FSANZ 2025e).

Always read relevant food packaging labels and familiarise yourself with declared ingredients.

What are the responsibilities of kitchen staff?

When preparing food, here are some practical actions you can take to keep food safe for people with allergies:

Partner with people about food allergies

• Communicate with individuals about any food allergies they may have
• Partner with individuals with allergies during the meal planning process to ensure food and dining preferences and needs are accommodated
• Take all allergy-related requests seriously
• Provide accurate information about ingredients upon request
• Clearly label known allergens on menu items and encourage clients to disclose allergies when ordering

(Food Allergy Training 2024)

Know about your ingredients

• Only use foods with proper labels or ingredient information
• Thoroughly check all ingredients for potential allergens, including sauces, spices, garnishes, oils and dressings
• Review food labels and Product Information Forms with each new delivery, as manufacturers may alter ingredients or processes
• Use standardised recipes to make sure menu items always contain the same allergen content
• Avoid substituting or adding extra ingredients during food preparation
• Check the allergy content of any new products or brands before using them
• Make sure you are familiar with different names for common food allergens

(Food Allergy Training 2024)

Safe food preparation

• Prevent cross-contamination — remember that even a small amount of an allergen can trigger reactions
• Always practice proper hand hygiene before preparing food for people with allergies
• Regularly clean and sanitise food preparation surfaces, utensils and equipment
• Keep food in sealed, labelled, dated containers, and ensure that storage areas remain clean
• Designate separate areas for preparing meals for people with food allergies
• When possible, prepare meals for people with food allergies first to prevent cross-contamination
• Use coloured flags or stickers to clearly identify meals for people with food allergies
• Deliver meals to people with food allergies separately, avoiding carrying other meals at the same time
• Always confirm that the correct meal is served to someone with a food allergy

(Food Allergy Training 2024)

Listeria and High Risk Foods

It is important to be aware that food poisoning can be particularly harmful for vulnerable populations, including older people. Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria responsible for listeriosis, a rare infection that can be life-threatening. Those who are healthy and not considered immunocompromised may encounter the bacteria and develop minimal to mild side effects; however, for older people, it can develop into:

• Invasive listeriosis
• Meningitis (brain infection)
• Septicaemia (blood poisoning)
• and even death.

Other vulnerable populations also include:

• Pregnant women, unborn and newborn children
• People taking immunosuppressant medications
• People who are considered immunocompromised with diseases (e.g. cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, leukaemia).

Unlike most bacteria, Listeria can keep growing in food at cold or even freezing temperatures, including when the food is correctly stored at or below 5°C. It can also form a tough biofilm that contaminates surfaces like stainless steel and builds up resistance to the chemicals meant to kill it (SA Health 2024).

High risk foods include:

• Cold meats and deli meats: cooked or uncooked, packaged or unpackaged, such as roast beef and ham
• Cold cooked chicken: whole, portioned, sliced or diced, and pre-packaged chicken sandwiches
• Pâté, pastes and dips: refrigerated pâté, liverwurst, meat spreads and dips
• Salads: pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit, vegetables or salads, such as those from salad bars and retail food outlets
• Chilled seafood: raw or smoked ready-to-eat varieties, such as oysters, sashimi, sushi, smoked salmon or trout, seafood sandwich fillings, and pre-cooked peeled prawns (for example, in prawn cocktails and salads)
• Cheese: delicatessen and pre-packaged soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses, such as camembert, brie, ricotta, feta, cottage, mascarpone and blue
• Other dairy products: unpasteurised dairy, such as raw milk and cheese or yoghurt made from raw milk, soft-serve ice cream
• Foods made with raw egg, such as homemade egg mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, uncooked cakes and desserts, and egg-nog, can also pose a danger to older people.

(FSANZ 2025b; SA Health 2024; NSW Health 2026)

Always refer to your organisation's food handling policies and procedures.

Conclusion

Safe food handling involves four key practices: clean, chill, cook and separate. These habits are especially important in aged care, where older people are highly vulnerable to foodborne illness, and where harmful bacteria like Listeria cannot be detected by sight, smell or taste. Each step should be applied carefully and in line with workplace food safety procedures, and whenever a food's safety is in doubt, it is better to discard it than serve it.