In recent years, a significant trend has emerged with more individuals choosing plant-based diets and reducing their meat intake in favour of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. In many cases, this involves the consumption of plant-based processed foods.
As a result, Food handling staff in cafes, restaurants, and food processing facilities now face an important question: do the same food safety procedures for traditional meat-based products also apply to plant-based alternatives?
In this blog, we will explore the reality of plant-based food safety and the role that Food Handler training plays in ensuring these items are safe to consume.
An Introduction to Plant-Based Foods
Before we consider the food safety implications, let’s first discuss what plant-based foods actually are. In simple terms, plant-based refers to any food made primarily from plants, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, oils, whole grains, and beans.
It is worth noting that just because a food is made using plant-based ingredients, that does not automatically make it vegetarian or vegan-friendly. This is because food additives, such as binding or gelling agents, are often made from ingredients that derive from animals or animal byproducts.
Plant-Based Food Safety vs. Meat-Based Food Safety
One of the most prominent food safety concerns for perishable foods is the presence of pathogens that can cause food-borne illnesses. Pathogens can contaminate both meat-based and plant-based products, so having correct food handling procedures is vital to ensuring consumer safety.
Meat products are commonly linked to pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which can pose serious health risks. The presence of these pathogens can be worsened by improper food handling or storage.
Plant-based foods also face similar threats, albeit with different types of pathogens and generally lower contamination risks. Mishandled food and food consumed raw poses a larger potential risk to consuming harmful pathogens within plant-based foods. Important pathogens to be mindful of in plant-based foods include Salmonella, E. coli, and Norovirus.
Other Plant-Based Food Safety Hazards
Although plant-based foods are mostly associated with good health, there are several unique considerations to make to ensure food is safe for consumption.
- Natural toxins: Some plant-based foods contain natural toxins. For example, raw kidney beans contain lectins that can cause serious gastrointestinal issues if not cooked properly.
- Allergens: Plant-based diets often include nuts, soy, and gluten, which are common allergens for many people.
- Cross-contamination: Plant-based foods can become contaminated by pathogens through contact with raw meats, contaminated surfaces, equipment and utensils. To prevent this, you should maintain good hygiene standards as well as effective cleaning and sanitising procedures.
- Chemical contamination: Pesticides and herbicides used in farming can remain on fruits and vegetables long after they have been harvested. Washing and peeling can remove some surface contamination but traces will still be left behind.
Below are some examples of how to mitigate identified risks:
- Correct cooking temperatures: Certain plant-based foods, like beans, need to be cooked at high temperatures to destroy toxins.
- Avoiding cross-contamination: Use separate chopping boards and utensils for plant-based and meat-based foods.
- Safe storage: Ensuring that perishable items are refrigerated or frozen immediately to minimise the risk of pathogen growth.
- Washing: Thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables to remove potential pathogens , pesticides and herbicides that may be present prior to consumption.
- These prevention measures, along with many others, form part of the Food Handler course delivered by Australian Institute of Food Safety (AIFS).
The Importance of Food Handler Training
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), more than 4.7 million cases of food-borne illness are reported each year in Australia, leading to around 47,900 hospitalisations and 38 deaths. Unsafe food handling is a leading cause of these illnesses, demonstrating the importance of Food Handler training and robust food safety procedures.
Food Handlers are responsible for identifying potential food safety threats and taking action to prevent food-borne illnesses from occurring. To do this effectively, they must develop the knowledge and skills required in order to prepare, handle and serve different types of food safely, including both plant-based and meat-based dishes.
It is critical that Food Handlers recognize the common causes of food-borne illnesses and the actions required to prevent them. In order to ensure consistent food safety standards are maintained throughout Australia, FSANZ requires all food handling staff to participate in robust Food Handler training, as appropriate for their job role.
AIFS provides a government-approved Food Handler training program designed to equip anyone involved in food handling, preparation or service with the knowledge they need to remain compliant with food safety regulations.
AIFS Food Handler Course Overview
The nationally recognised AIFS Food Handler course is the gateway to becoming certified in compliance with Australian food safety regulations. After completing this course, individuals will be better placed to recognize food safety hazards and take whatever steps are necessary to mitigate them.
AIFS provides industry-specific Food Handler courses for Food Processing, Health & Community and Hospitality, covering the relevant unit of competency for each industry so that students obtain the exact knowledge and skills required for the sector in which they work.
- Food Processing: FBPFSY1002 - Follow Work Procedures to Maintain Food Safety
- Health & Community: HLTFSE001 - Follow Basic Food Safety Practices
- Hospitality: SITXFSA005 - Use Hygienic Practices for Food Safety
AIFS Food Handler Course Curriculum
Regardless of which sector-specific Food Handler course you enrol in, you will be gaining access to a comprehensive curriculum covering all key topics required to ensure the successful implementation of safe food handling practices in the workplace. These topics include:
- Cleaning & Sanitising: Guide to ensuring that food storage areas, equipment and preparation surfaces are effectively maintained, cleaned and sanitised on a regular basis.
- Food Allergies & Allergen Management: Guidance for preventing, identifying and dealing with allergic reactions in your food establishment.
- Food Contamination: Overview of the three types of food contamination that can make food unsafe and cause a food-borne illness (biological, chemical and physical).
- Food Safety Laws & Responsibilities: Introduction to food safety laws and what they mean for you and your workplace, focusing on the three levels of food safety legislation: national, state and local
- Food Safety Programs: Demonstration of how robust Food Safety Programs, such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), are crucial for identifying and mitigating potential food safety hazards before they cause harm to the public.
- Hand Washing: Demonstration of how effective hand washing can prevent food-borne illnesses caused by cross-contamination and the spread of harmful pathogens.
- Identifying Food Safety Hazards: Summary of what needs to be done to identify potential hazards (biological, chemical or physical) that could occur across all areas of your food operation.
- Illness & Onsite Injuries: Guidance for dealing with workplace illnesses and injuries, including reporting procedures.
- Personal Hygiene & Workplace Behaviour: Practical measures for ensuring that your body, anything from your body or anything you are wearing don’t contaminate food or food contact surfaces.
- Receiving & Storing Food: Information about receiving and storing food safely so that pests and pathogens are not introduced into the workplace.
- Serving Food Safely: Guidelines for serving and displaying hot and cold food safely.
- Time & Temperature Control: Summary of which foods require time and temperature control, the temperature zones, time control (e.g. the 2 hour / 4 hour rule) and how to use and maintain thermometers.
- Working with Food Safely: Guide to safely freezing, defrosting, preparing, cooking, cooling and reheating food.
Conclusion
Plant-based foods may not be considered as high-risk as their meat-based counterparts, but that doesn’t mean Food Handlers can allow safety standards to drop when handling them.
Food Handler training is essential for ensuring all food is safe consumption, whether it is plant-based or not. As well as providing a route to certification, the AIFS Food Handler course enables participants to gain a robust understanding of food safety aligned to the standards required in today’s diverse dietary landscape.
With online course access available immediately after enrolment, students can begin learning right away, developing an extensive knowledge of the practices and procedures required to successfully navigate potential food safety hazards in their establishment.
Enrol today or contact us to discover all the benefits of AIFS Food Handler training.
