Managing consumer food safety in Queensland

Tabled Report 17: 2018–19

Tabled date

2019-05-14

Report year

2018-19

Community welfare Health

Entities audited

• Queensland Health

Recommendations

1. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Health, in collaboration with hospital and health services

   conducts a legislative review of the Food Act 2006 (the Act) to ensure the Act enables effective responses to food safety risks (Chapters 2 and 3)

   This should include:

   • clarifying Queensland Health’s overall administration role of the Act and enforcement powers
   • evaluating the food safety risks, costs, and benefits of the current exemptions to the Act
   • making the definition of licensable food businesses clearer and aligning it more to food safety risks
   • establishing competency standards and availability requirements for food safety supervisors
   • considering public reporting of poor food safety practices or offences.

2. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Health, in collaboration with hospital and health services

   ensures existing governance committees include representatives from local government and hospital and health services, in addition to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Safe Food Production Queensland (Chapter 2)

3. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Health, in collaboration with hospital and health services

   in consultation with the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs, implements a consistent statewide risk-based framework and standards for classifying and inspecting food businesses and for making enforcement decisions (Chapter 2)

   This should include:

   • minimum standards for inspecting food businesses, investigating complaints, assessing inspection results, and making enforcement decisions, including documentation standards
   • redesigning the check audit regime including sampling methodology, timeframes, and capability of check auditors.

4. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Health, in collaboration with hospital and health services

   designs and implements a set of performance measures for statewide food safety outcomes such as reduction in foodborne illnesses over time, results of enforcement actions, and quality of compliance activities (Chapter 2)

5. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Health, in collaboration with hospital and health services

   rectifies its data collection and reporting issues, including:

   • providing local governments with better access to update the statewide mobile food business register
   • publishing annual reporting of local government food safety activities within a reasonable timeframe
   • improving the functionality and the timeliness, quality, and consistency of data capture of the Monitoring, Applications, Permits and Licensing Events (MAPLE) system
   • improving project governance and reporting for statewide compliance plan projects (Chapter 3).

6. QAO's text Addressed to: the Department of Health, in collaboration with hospital and health services

   investigates long-term technology solutions that can support a consistent statewide approach to detecting and managing foodborne illness outbreaks (Chapter 3)

7. QAO's text Addressed to: identifies training requirements for authorised people to promote consistent regulatory outcomes. The requirements

   identifies training requirements for authorised people to promote consistent regulatory outcomes. The requirements should include skills in gathering evidence, managing a prosecution event, and conducting a check audit (Chapter 3).

   We also made the following recommendations to local government.

8. QAO's text Addressed to: reviews the risks associated with its licensing inspection processes for new food premises. It

   reviews the risks associated with its licensing inspection processes for new food premises. It should consider whether additional procedures such as follow-up inspections are required within a reasonable timeframe after the food business becomes operational (Chapter 3)

9. QAO's text Addressed to: reviews the risks associated with its licensing inspection processes for new food premises. It

   ensures consistent adherence to its operating procedures on food safety programs (Chapter 3).

10. QAO's text Addressed to: the Council of the City of Gold Coast

    improves the configuration of its systems to ensure they can adequately capture extensions granted in accordance with the legislation, effectively manage the backlog of licensing applications, and report on the council’s food safety activities (Chapter 3)

11. QAO's text Addressed to: the Council of the City of Gold Coast

    ensures consistent adherence to its operating procedures on food safety programs (Chapter 3).

12. QAO's text Addressed to: the Cairns Regional Council

    continues to improve its food safety licensing and compliance processes and systems to effectively manage the backlog of overdue licensing applications and routine inspections, and ensure service levels can be maintained for local food businesses (Chapter 3)

13. QAO's text Addressed to: the Cairns Regional Council

    implements detailed council specific operating procedures to complement Queensland Health guidance for, and monitoring and analysis of:

    • processing licence applications, including conducting assessments and accrediting food safety programs
    • following up on non-compliance issues identified in food safety program audits
    • inspecting food premises—including assessment standards
    • taking enforcement action (Chapter 3)

14. QAO's text Addressed to: the Cairns Regional Council

    improves the configuration of the data management system to enable applications to be extended where appropriate in accordance with the legislation (Chapter 3).

Authoritative report — Queensland Audit Office

Report PDF on QAO