The Government has launched a free online food safety training module in a move aimed at making life easier for food businesses.
The Introduction to Food Safety module, developed with input from the Restaurant Association, Hospitality NZ, restaurants, cafes and local authorities, is the first of six modules being rolled out from this year.
“The changes were a direct response to what I heard visiting a number of food businesses, and meetings across the country,” said Minister for Food Safety, Andrew Hoggard.
“What I found was a system that was effective at managing risk, but not always as efficient and user friendly as it could be.
“Training was often difficult and costly to source, anywhere between 50 and 200 dollars per person.
“This is about creating accessibility for basic food safety training for everyone, being free and online it certainly removes the barrier to growth,” he said.
The training is part of a wider programme of changes to modernise New Zealand’s food safety system to make it fairer, more efficient and more responsive to the needs of the food sector.
“We have already made it easier for home bakers selling a few cakes to neighbours instead of expecting them to meet the same compliance burden as large commercial operations,” Mr Hoggard said.
“Food safety matters – but the rules need to fit the risk, and people need access to the right tools.”
Further modules and initiatives are in development and will be announced in the coming months.
