Product Overview

Summary: This Catering and Food Safety Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, step-by-step framework for preparing, handling, transporting and serving food safely in Australian workplaces. It helps catering operations control food-borne illness risks, meet WHS and food safety obligations, and deliver consistent, high-quality meals to staff, guests and clients.

Food service operations in Australia must manage both WHS risks and strict food safety requirements, often across busy kitchens, mobile catering units, and event venues. This Catering and Food Safety Safe Operating Procedure sets out a practical, end-to-end system for safe food preparation, storage, transport and service. It translates legislative and food safety requirements into clear, task-based instructions that frontline staff can follow, whether they are preparing bulk meals, running a site canteen, or catering a corporate event.

The procedure addresses critical control points such as receiving and storing deliveries, managing cold and hot food temperatures, preventing cross-contamination, allergen control, cleaning and sanitising, and managing food waste. It also embeds WHS considerations—slips, trips and burns, knife safety, manual handling and chemical use—into everyday catering tasks. By implementing this SOP, businesses can demonstrate due diligence, reduce the risk of food-borne illness outbreaks, protect vulnerable customers, and support consistent, high-standard service across all catering activities.

Key Benefits

• Ensure compliance with Australian food safety legislation and WHS obligations in catering environments.
• Reduce the risk of food-borne illness, cross-contamination and allergen-related incidents.
• Standardise catering workflows across kitchens, canteens and events to improve consistency and quality.
• Support effective training and onboarding of new catering and kitchen staff with clear, practical instructions.
• Demonstrate due diligence to regulators, clients and auditors through documented, repeatable food safety practices.

Who is this for?

• Catering Managers
• Café and Restaurant Owners
• Hospitality Operations Managers
• Site Canteen Supervisors
• Event and Function Coordinators
• Aged Care and Healthcare Food Services Managers
• School Canteen Managers
• Camp and Remote Site Catering Supervisors
• WHS Managers in Hospitality and Events
• Head Chefs and Kitchen Supervisors

Hazards Addressed

• Food-borne pathogens from improper cooking, cooling or storage
• Cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods
• Allergen exposure and undeclared allergen cross-contact
• Chemical contamination from cleaning and sanitising agents
• Physical contamination (glass, metal fragments, foreign objects)
• Burns and scalds from hot surfaces, oils and liquids
• Cuts and lacerations from knives and food preparation equipment
• Slips, trips and falls in wet or cluttered kitchen areas
• Manual handling injuries from lifting bulk ingredients and equipment
• Exposure to cleaning chemicals and sanitisers

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Terms
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Competency, Induction and Training Requirements
• 6.0 Personal Hygiene and Health of Food Handlers
• 7.0 Food Receiving and Supplier Requirements
• 8.0 Food Storage, Temperature Control and Labelling
• 9.0 Food Preparation Procedures (Raw and Ready-to-Eat Foods)
• 10.0 Allergen Management and Special Dietary Requirements
• 11.0 Cooking, Cooling, Reheating and Hot-Holding Requirements
• 12.0 Food Transport and Off-site Catering Controls
• 13.0 Food Service, Buffet and Self-Service Controls
• 14.0 Cleaning, Sanitising and Use of Chemicals
• 15.0 Waste Management and Pest Control Considerations
• 16.0 WHS Risk Controls in Catering Areas (Slips, Trips, Burns, Cuts, Manual Handling)
• 17.0 Equipment Safety, Maintenance and Pre-use Checks
• 18.0 Incident, Illness and Contamination Response Procedures
• 19.0 Recordkeeping, Monitoring Forms and Corrective Actions
• 20.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 3.2.2: Food Safety Practices and General Requirements
• Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 3.2.3: Food Premises and Equipment
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – Safe Food Australia: A Guide to the Food Safety Standards
• Model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth)
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth)
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities
• AS 4674: Design, construction and fit-out of food premises
• AS 4709: Guide to cleaning and sanitizing of plant and equipment in the food industry
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks