Standard 3.2.2A affects all Australian states & territories: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Since December 8 2023, most food businesses across Australia have needed to be compliant with Standard 3.2.2A.

New South Wales extended the deadline to December 8 2024 for certain types of businesses - school canteens, children's services that provide food, supermarkets, greengrocers, delis, coffee vendors that serve food, correctional centres and boarding schools. That deadline is now approaching and these businesses must take action.

Other food businesses in NSW should already be compliant with the new laws.

You may need to comply with that, too. This is definitely causing some confusion at the moment.

Standard 3.2.2A exists alongside existing state legislation but doesn't replace it. That means you may need to comply with food safety regulations outlined in Standard 3.2.2A as well as with the food safety legislation in the state or territory where you operate.

The extended December 8 2024 deadline for certain types of food businesses in New South Wales is an example of state legislation.

Yes, there are three parts to the new requirements under Standard 3.2.2A that you need to be aware of.

First, all Food Safety Supervisors must have been trained and received their certificate within the last 5 years. This means that most Food Safety Supervisors around Australia need to re-do their training.

Second, training requirements for Food Handlers are now much more stringent, and it's essential to ensure your employees are trained to the required standard.

Third, you need to check that you're meeting the new record-keeping requirements, as these are quite different from what existed previously in some states and territories.

The number of tools that a business needs to implement is determined by the category of the business. Talk to our compliance team to find out which category your business fits within.

Standard 3.2.2A divides businesses that serve or sell food into Category One or Category Two. You need to abide by the regulations in Standard 3.2.2A according to the category your business belongs to.

However, many states and territories also have their own classification system and state or territory laws that must be adhered to. So your business may be Category One under Standard 3.2.2A but Category Three under state legislation, and you must know and adhere to both!

It's hoped that state, territory and federal categories will be aligned and streamlined in the future, but there are currently no announcements about this at a state or federal level.

If they've been in the industry for years, you need to check the competency date on their Statement of Attainment for Food Safety Supervisor training. Standard 3.2.2A requires the Food Safety Supervisor to have attained competency within the last five years, so if they were certified more than 5 years ago they'll need to re-do the course.

Previously, only New South Wales and ACT had requirements for 5-year renewals, so it's likely that long-term Food Safety Supervisors in other locations will need to renew.

It’s important to note that in Victoria, Food Safety Supervisors who completed training any time before December 8 2023 do not need to renew their certificates until December 2028. However, anyone wishing to act as a Food Safety Supervisor who was not previously qualified must complete the training immediately.

Yes, Food Safety Supervisors must have a Food Safety Supervisor qualification that is less than 5 years old and must have the authority and ability to manage and give direction on the safe handling of food.  

In addition to supervising Food Handlers, Food Safety Supervisors must help ensure food is kept safe, in particular for high-risk and potentially hazardous food. To meet this requirement, nominated Food Safety Supervisors must complete a 3.2.2A Compliant Food Safety Supervisor Course. They must also make themselves available on-site and need to be able to provide their certificate to an authorised officer upon request.

* Victoria has extended the deadline to December 2028 for existing Food Safety Supervisors to renew their certification.

There are four versions of Food Safety Supervisor training, which differ slightly depending on the industry you work in. Environmental Health Officers will check your Statement of Attainment during an inspection to ensure you've completed training for the right industry.

The four Food Safety Supervisor industries are Hospitality, Health & Community, Retail and Food Processing. However, only certain industries are required across the states and territories:

• ACT: Hospitality, Retail and Health & Community are accepted.

• NSW: Hospitality and Retail are accepted.

• NT: Hospitality and Retail are accepted.

• QLD: All industries are accepted.

• SA: Hospitality, Retail and Health & Community are accepted.

• TAS: Hospitality, Retail and Health & Community are accepted.

• VIC: All industries are accepted.

• WA: Hospitality, Retail and Health & Community are accepted.

The Australian Institute of Food Safety is approved to deliver Food Safety Supervisor training for all four industries and is approved across all states and territories. All Food Safety Supervisor training provided by the Australian Institute of Food Safety also meets the legislative requirements under Standard 3.2.2A.

With the introduction of Standard 3.2.2A, Food Handler training is now a mandatory requirement across Australia. 

The standard requires that anyone handling food within a business has the appropriate food safety skills and knowledge to handle potentially hazardous foods and ensure they are safe to eat. To meet this requirement, Food Handlers should complete a 3.2.2A compliant course covering the following topics:

• Safe handling of food
• Food contamination
• Cleaning and sanitising of food premises and equipment
• Personal hygiene

Probably not. Most Food Handler training is based on the unit of competency SITXFSA005 - Use hygienic practices for food safety. Unfortunately, this unit of competency does not include all of the required skills and knowledge outlined in Standard 3.2.2A for Food Handlers, especially for items such as allergen management.

Be sure to enrol Food Handlers into a Standard 3.2.2A compliant course, as these have been adapted to meet both the requirements of the unit of competency as well as the new legislation.