Covid Safety Spot Checks keep community safe from food illness

Thanks to the global pandemic, hand and personal hygiene has become a hot topic.

For Council’s Environmental Health Officers, whose job it is to keep us safe from foodborne illness, it meant an increased focus on promoting safe food handling and public health.

When the lockdown lifted in May and shops and restaurants reopened, there was a fresh focus on hygiene and the additional safety measures imposed by the Ministerial Public Health Orders. This was the “new normal”. Our Environmental Heath Team was ready with a new approach to their usual food safety inspections and ready to help businesses get through this tough time.

Council made a decision to replace routine inspections with free Covid Safety Spot Checks. With over 500 spot checks undertaken since May, this has saved local small businesses over $200,000.

A Covid Safety Spot Check ensures the business is cleaning and sanitising surfaces, providing and implementing suitable staff hand washing, keeping food at appropriate temperatures, checking for hazardous food preparation and checks on their pest control measures.

May also saw the introduction by the NSW Government, of mandatory Covid Safety Plans for food businesses. In addition to inspecting premises for health measures, our officers also check that the business has a Covid Safety Plan in place, that the Plan is submitted with NSW Health and that the Plan is being implemented by the business. Officers provide help and advice to businesses on the implementation of their Covid Safety Plan.

We have also helped local businesses by supplying and installing handwashing and sanitising stations for restaurants and cafes and providing increased soap and hand drying facilities in public amenities across the Beaches.

Food Safety Week runs from November 14-21 and this year’s theme “it’s in your hands” hopes to build upon the good behaviour established during the COVID-19 pandemic so we can continue to reduce the amount of foodborne disease. 

Council’s Environmental Health team is responsible for enforcing food safety regulations. If you have a concern about food safety at a local business, or would like more information, call us on 1300 434 434.