Food Safety Supervisors (FSS)
The NSW Food Safety Supervisor program helps businesses meet their obligations under Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code, which requires all food handlers to have skills and knowledge appropriate to the tasks they undertake while handling food.
Retail and hospitality food businesses selling ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous foods that are handled by the business (i.e. not received and sold as packaged) before sale must appoint at least one Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) per premises. Broadly, this includes all businesses selling potentially hazardous food (temperature controlled) to the public that are not licensed by the Food Authority.
The appointed FSS needs to have achieved specific national units of competency under the Vocational Education Training system. Training is delivered by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) approved by the NSW Food Authority to ensure high quality training and consistent outcomes.
Changes to the Food Standards Code - 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools
From Friday 8 December 2023, businesses that process unpackaged, potentially hazardous food, and sell or serve it ready-to-eat, are required to implement two or three tools depending on their food handling activities:
- have a qualified onsite Food Safety Supervisor, who is reasonably available to supervise food handlers,
- ensure all food handlers are trained in food safety and hygiene, or can demonstrate adequate skills and knowledge, and
- maintain a record of their food safety risk management or be able to show their food is safe.
See Food Safety Management Tools for more information.
Scope of Businesses that require an FSS
Businesses that sell potentially hazardous food in a ready-to-eat manner directly to consumers, where there is some form of handling done by the business, are required to appoint an FSS for each premises they operate from. This includes foods ordered through third party ordering apps.
This non-exhaustive list includes cafes, restaurants, quick service venues, takeaway shops, pubs and clubs with food service areas, mobile vendors, home-based businesses, caterers, motels, and supermarkets selling in-scope food (e.g. hot-chickens).
Businesses licensed with the Food Authority do not need an FSS.
More information can be found in the Guide for businesses section.
FSS training
To be an FSS you must achieve the required units of competency from an RTO approved under the FSS program.
In NSW, the training must also incorporate 5 key focus areas determined as essential additional information by the Food Authority:
- Safe Egg Handling
- Allergen Management
- Cleaning and Sanitising Practices
- Food Act Offences
- COVID Hygiene
These focus areas are supplementary modules targeting high risk activities not already captured in the national units of competency.
For more information on the content requirements in the FSS, see the Units of Competency section on the Training for food handlers page.