New food safety system on streets

Eating out is a treat many residents and visitors to Queenstown indulge in but deciding between the great choices can be difficult.

Discerning diners mindful of food safety considerations can now look out for a new window sticker displayed at businesses taking part in a new, updated food safety system.

“So far we have received expressions of interest from over 30 local restaurants and cafes in Queenstown, with Glenorchy Hotel being the first to officially apply and be registered this week,” Lakes Environmental Environmental Health principal Lee Webster said.

Registration involved signing up to a Food Control Plan which provided operators with procedures to keep products safe at each step of the process – such as buying, receiving and storing goods and displaying food. It emphasised the importance of staff training and hygiene, and included sickness policies that described when someone shouldn’t be in direct contact with food, or shouldn’t come to work at all.

As well as the window sticker, businesses could also offer an information flyer that explained, in a bit more detail, about what having a Food Control Plans meant to them.

“We’re really pleased with the level of interest Queenstown food operators have shown in Food Control Plans. It shows that they’re really committed to providing the safest food possible to their customers. The new system provides operators with the information they need to have good food safety systems in place as well as a great staff training tool,” Mr Webster said.

“We find that the different approach taken by the Food Control Plan - focusing on processes a business has in place, rather than relying on physical features of the premises as the current regulations do - is much more helpful to food operators and is sure to improve food safety standards in local eateries.”

The full list of participating businesses can be found on the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s website at www.nzfsa.govt.nz