What is a food safety supervisor?
All licensed food businesses must have an approved food safety supervisor. A food safety supervisor is responsible for monitoring food safety in a food business.
All licensable food businesses in Queensland must have a food safety supervisor to help ensure safe food is produced. Your food safety supervisor needs to be ‘reasonably available’. This means they need to be onsite or able to be contacted by Council or your employees while they are handling food.
Who can be a food safety supervisor?
A food safety supervisor must:
- know how to recognise, stop and reduce food safety hazards of the business
- be trained with the skills and knowledge of food safety matters that are relevant to the business
- have the authority to supervise and give directions about food safety matters to other staff
- be reasonably available to be contacted while the food business is operating by:
- any food handler at the food business
- the local Council that licensed the food business.
A licensee of the food business may be the food safety supervisor and a business may have more than one food safety supervisor.
Does a food safety supervisor need training?
Category 1 and 2 businesses must have a formally trained food safety supervisor that can produce a certificate of attainment from a registered training organisation (RTO) (e.g. TAFE, college or private provider).
To understand if you operate a category 1 or 2 business, please refer to Which food business category applies to my business?.
The certificate must reflect the type of food handling undertaken and be no more than 5 years old. For example:
- A food safety supervisor working in a restaurant, café, catering business, delicatessen, convenience store, grocery store, hotel, retail market or stall, supermarket, or takeaway food service may require a food safety supervisor qualification that includes the following specific course codes:
| National competency code |
Competency title |
| SITXFSA005 |
Use hygienic practices for food safety |
| SITXFSA006 |
Participate in safe food handling practices |
| |
OR |
| SIRRFSA001 |
Handle food safely in a retail environment |
- A food safety supervisor working in an aged care centre, childcare centre, hospital, hostel, meals on wheels, or a business catering for hospitals and/or nursing homes may require a food safety supervisor qualification that includes the following specific course codes:
| National competency code |
Competency title |
| HLTFSE001 |
Follow basic food safety practices |
| HLTFSE007 |
Oversee the day-to-day implementation of food safety in the workplace |
| HLTFSE005 |
Apply and monitor food safety requirements |
For more about food safety supervisor training, visit Queensland Health's food safety supervisors.
You can find an RTO at training.gov.au or enter the keywords ‘food safety supervisor training’ in an internet search engine.
Businesses that are not classified as category 1 or 2 are not required to have an RTO-trained food safety supervisor. However, they may choose to complete the "I'm Alert" training program instead. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend that your food safety supervisor undergo a training course provided by an RTO.
How do I nominate my food safety supervisor?
Once your food business licence has been granted, you have 30 days to provide your food safety supervisor’s name and contact details. If your food safety supervisor or their contact details change, you also need to notify us.
You can nominate a food safety supervisor by completing the: