The Food Standards Code requires food businesses to take all practicable steps to prevent contamination of their food service or processing environment.

Effective hygiene

Maintaining effective hygiene includes:

regular hand washing
cleaning and sanitising facilities and equipment
maintaining strict requirements around worker health and hygiene
implementing social distancing

Cleaning and sanitising

You must ensure you’re cleaning and sanitising the following, regardless of COVID-19:

all eating and drinking utensils
all food contact surfaces

We advise you to review your cleaning and sanitising practices to ensure general surfaces are also cleaned frequently and effectively. These include:

door handles
refrigerator handles
tap handles
switches
other high-touch areas.

Check if you’re covering the Australian Government Guidelines for routine environmental cleaning on the Department of Health website. https://www.health.gov.au/https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resources. You should add anything to your standard procedures for cleaning and disinfection of your business premises if necessary.

Employee health and hygiene

Food handlers must take all practicable measures to prevent contamination of the food service or processing environment. They must maintain good personal hygiene including regular hand washing.

Employees showing symptoms of COVID-19 must not attend work.

Symptoms include:

fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
It is recommend you review the health of all employees daily.

Food handlers who know or suspect they are unwell with COVID-19 or other illness must report this to their supervisor.

You must exclude unwell food handlers from food handling activities or from the workplace entirely. This exclusion must be until they are professionally deemed safe to return to work, with guidance from health authorities.

Tips to prevent transmitting the virus

Normal best-practice prevention measures will reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19, and food borne diseases like norovirus and salmonellosis:

maintain good personal hygiene, especially handwashing
keep equipment and surfaces clean and sanitised
exclude ill workers
take recommended measures such as social distancing.

For consideration: Many businesses, particularly food manufacturers, staff routinely wear PPE such as protective clothing, hats and gloves. With correct use these can help prevent transmission of infectious diseases.

Everyone in the community has an obligation to stay home while they have any symptoms such as fever or coughing. Businesses have the right to refuse service and insist that anyone with these symptoms leaves the premises.

Reusable cups

Food businesses are responsible for the measures they put in place to ensure food is safe and suitable, including food packaging. There is nothing in the Food Standards Code that specifically covers consumers bringing in their own reusable cups.

It is up to the business if they accept reusable cups. Businesses should have a policy around how they accept reusable cups and cleaning and sanitising arrangements when accepting them. Businesses are under no obligation to accept dirty cups.

Personal and equipment hygiene must be maintained at all times.

In response to COVID-19 local food enforcement agencies may have their own requirements or advice. The best ways to prevent the community spread of COVID-19 are for everyone to maintain effective hygiene and follow social distancing rules.