Information for RTOs

Individuals who want to qualify as a Food Safety Supervisor must achieve the required units of competency under the FSS program.

The NSW FSS program is delivered through Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) approved by the Food Authority on an annual basis.

Approved RTOs teach students the required units of competency and supplementary key focus areas that go into detail about managing high risk activities not already captured in the national units of competency.

The certificate is designed to provide skills and knowledge for food handling in general retail and hospitality businesses. It does not provide all the skills required for food handling in more regulated industries such as Aged Care or manufacturing.

FSS program strategy

The Food Authority is required to specify the nationally accredited units of competency and publish them on its website.

RTOs delivering the NSW FSS must teach the following units of competency:

• Hospitality units
  SITXFSA005 – Use hygienic practices for food safety, AND
  SITXFSA006 – Participate in safe food handling practices,

OR

• Retail unit
  SIRRFSA001 – Handle food safely in a retail environment

In addition to these units, RTOs must also incorporate 5 key focus areas determined by the Food Authority and published on its website:

• Safe Egg Handling
• Allergen Management
• Cleaning and Sanitising Practices
• Food Act Offences, and
• COVID Hygiene

Students seeking to achieve the NSW FSS qualification for the first time must follow a learning and assessment pathway.

Students seeking to recertify may follow a learning and recognition pathway to renew a NSW FSS certificate that is due to expire or has expired within the immediately preceding 90 days.

The diagram below provides two pathways that RTOs can offer to FSS students:

Units of Competency		Learning and Assessment Pathway:  RTOs deliver both:  Units of Competency  &  Key focus areas		FSS Certificate  And  Statement of Attainment
		OR
		Recertification Pathway:  RPL Units of Competency  &  Deliver key focus areas  &  Assess Units of Competency Quiz

The units of competency may include syllabus points for content in the key focus areas. Where this is the case, the Food Authority expects all the content in the included key focus area module to be taught as part of that syllabus requirement.

The key focus areas also provide additional consistency between the retail and hospitality skills sets.

FSS recertification training

FSS certificates expire 5 years from the date of issue.

The Food Authority has developed processes to assist individuals with a current or recently expired FSS certificate recertify

RTOs in the NSW FSS program may offer a condensed version of the FSS course for certificate holders who meet the recertification requirements as part of the learning and recognition pathway

Further information can be found in the Refresher Guidelines for RTOs, provided as part of the approval process.