Hang on, you're telling me it's illegal?
Well......yes. According to the Food Act 1981 it is.
Incredibly, simple activities like fundraising sausage sizzles and cake stalls at school fairs need to comply with the Food Hygiene Regulations (1974) under the Food Act (1981). This means the poor old PTA and Sport's Club needs to have the same systems and processes in place as large business operations like retail food outlets and food processors.
Luckily the authorities recognise the inflexibility of the situation and generally turn a blind eye, otherwise we'd be paying about $20.00 for a sausage outside Bunnings.
When the new Food Act 2014 finally comes into force there will be a clear exemption for these Kiwi traditions with the only rule being that the food sold must be safe. Viva le sausage and banana cake!
OK, so what's this got to do with pest control?
Well, a formal Pest Control Program will be an essential requirement under the Food Act 2014 if you are classed as high risk. That's;
- You prepare and/or sell meals (retail food).
- You process food and/or sell raw meat or seafood (food processors).
If you fall into a high risk category, you've got a significant work to do to meet the new requirements under the revised act.
Businesses classed as high risk will operate under far more stringent requirements including having a documented Food Control Plan, including a formal Pest Control Program. How well you manage/operate this food plan will have a direct impact on your compliance costs. Businesses performing well will require less frequent checks, business that not managing food safety well will receive extra attention.
Information on the implementation of the new Food Act is available here.
The good news is the new act won't come into full force until 1 March 2016, so you have a good period of time to change processes to meet the new requirements. As mentioned these are significant but we can help simplify the process for you.
The commercial team at Bug King have done a good amount of research on the new act and the requirements of this, Pest Control in particular. If you need any advice on this or an audit of your current processes and their compliance under the new law, please contact the team to arrange a time to discuss and review.
The team at Bug King 0800 KING KING (54 64 54) www.bugking.co.nz
