[0:00] Welcome to lesson 3.1 overview of the
[0:02] hack principles.
[0:04] Hack is based on a set of principles
[0:06] that help food businesses manage food
[0:08] safety in a planned and organised way.
[0:11] At level two, you do not need to write a
[0:13] full hack plan, but you should
[0:15] understand how the principles work and
[0:16] how they affect your daily tasks. The
[0:19] hacked principles include identifying
[0:21] food safety hazards, identifying the
[0:24] points where those hazards must be
[0:25] controlled, setting safe limits,
[0:27] monitoring those controls, taking
[0:29] corrective action when things go wrong,
[0:31] checking the system works, and keeping
[0:33] records.
[0:35] For example, if a business cooks
[0:37] chicken, the hazard may be harmful
[0:38] bacteria.
[0:40] The control point may be cooking. The
[0:43] safe limit may be the cooking standard
[0:45] required by the business.
[0:47] Monitoring may involve checking the food
[0:49] properly. Corrective action may be
[0:51] cooking it for longer if it has not
[0:53] reached the required standard. Records
[0:56] may then show what was checked and what
[0:58] action was taken. Hack helps staff
[1:00] understand that food safety is not based
[1:02] on guesswork. It is based on identifying
[1:06] risks and controlling them before unsafe
[1:08] food reaches the customer. The key
[1:10] message is hacked principles give food
[1:12] businesses a clear method for managing
[1:14] hazards, checking controls, and acting
[1:16] quickly when something is not safe.
[1:19] Welcome to lesson 3.2, identifying
[1:22] hazards. The first part of hack is
[1:25] identifying hazards. A hazard is
[1:27] anything that could make food unsafe to
[1:29] eat. The main food safety hazards are
[1:32] microbiological, physical, chemical, and
[1:35] allergenic.
[1:36] Microbiological hazards include harmful
[1:39] bacteria, viruses, parasites, and molds.
[1:43] Physical hazards include objects such as
[1:45] glass, metal, plastic, hair, jewelry, or
[1:48] broken packaging. Chemical hazards
[1:51] include cleaning products, sanitizer
[1:53] residue, pest control chemicals, or
[1:55] other harmful substances.
[1:58] Allergenic hazards include allergens
[1:59] that are not declared or allergens that
[2:01] transfer by cross contact. To identify
[2:05] hazards, the business looks at each
[2:06] stage of the food process.
[2:09] This may include delivery, storage,
[2:11] preparation, cooking, cooling,
[2:14] reheating, service, display, takeaway,
[2:17] and delivery. For example, during
[2:20] delivery, chilled food may arrive too
[2:22] warm. During storage, raw meat may drip
[2:25] onto ready to eat food. During
[2:28] preparation, dirty equipment may spread
[2:30] bacteria.
[2:32] During service, the wrong allergen
[2:34] information may be given to a customer.
[2:36] At level two, your role is to stay alert
[2:39] to hazards during your work. If you see
[2:42] damaged packaging, outofdate food, pest
[2:44] signs, poor storage, chemical
[2:46] contamination, crosscontamination, or
[2:49] anything unsafe, report it. The key
[2:52] messages: identifying hazards means
[2:54] thinking about what could go wrong
[2:55] before it causes harm. Hacked starts
[2:58] with recognizing the risks.
[3:01] Welcome to lesson 3.3, Identifying
[3:04] Critical Control Points. A critical
[3:07] control point, often called a CCP, is a
[3:10] stage in the food process where control
[3:12] is essential to prevent, remove, or
[3:14] reduce a food safety hazard to a safe
[3:16] level. Not every control is a critical
[3:19] control point. Some controls are
[3:22] important general hygiene practices such
[3:24] as cleaning, personal hygiene, and pest
[3:27] control. A critical control point is
[3:30] usually a step where failure could
[3:31] directly lead to unsafe food. For
[3:34] example, cooking chicken may be a
[3:36] critical control point because harmful
[3:38] bacteria may survive if the chicken is
[3:40] undercooked. Chilled storage may also be
[3:43] critical for certain high-risk foods
[3:44] because bacteria can grow if the food
[3:46] becomes too warm. Another example is
[3:49] reheating food. If food is not reheated
[3:53] properly, bacteria that have grown
[3:55] during storage may survive. In some
[3:58] businesses, allergen controls may also
[4:00] be critical because giving wrong
[4:01] allergen information or serving the
[4:03] wrong food could seriously harm a
[4:05] customer. At level two, you may not
[4:08] decide which points are critical, but
[4:10] you must follow the controls your
[4:11] workplace has identified. If your
[4:14] procedure says a cooking check must be
[4:16] completed, it must be done properly. If
[4:19] food does not meet the required
[4:20] standard, you must not serve it. The key
[4:23] message is critical control points are
[4:25] the stages where food safety must be
[4:27] controlled. Staff must understand these
[4:30] points and never take shortcuts with
[4:32] them. Welcome to lesson 3.4, setting
[4:35] critical limits. A critical limit is the
[4:38] safe boundary that must be met at a
[4:40] critical control point. In simple terms,
[4:43] it tells staff what is acceptable and
[4:45] what is not acceptable. Critical limits
[4:48] may be based on temperature, time,
[4:50] appearance, pH, water activity, supplier
[4:54] standards, or other food safety
[4:55] requirements depending on the process.
[4:59] For example, a business may set a
[5:01] cooking limit for certain foods to make
[5:02] sure harmful bacteria are destroyed. A
[5:06] chilled storage limit may make sure
[5:07] high-risisk food stays cold enough. A
[5:10] hot holding limit may make sure food
[5:12] stays hot enough during service. At
[5:15] level two, you do not usually set
[5:17] critical limits yourself, but you must
[5:19] know the limits in your workplace
[5:20] procedures and follow them. For example,
[5:23] if a fridge check shows the fridge is
[5:25] too warm, the limit has not been met.
[5:28] The correct response is not to write
[5:30] down a safe number or ignore the
[5:32] reading. The correct response is to
[5:34] report it and follow the corrective
[5:36] action procedure. Critical limits help
[5:38] remove guesswork.
[5:40] Staff should not decide that food is
[5:42] probably fine when it has failed a
[5:44] required check. The key message is
[5:47] critical limits tell us when food safety
[5:49] is under control. If the limit is not
[5:52] met, staff must take action before food
[5:54] is served or sold.
[5:56] Welcome to lesson 3.5. Monitoring
[5:59] controls.
[6:01] Monitoring means checking that food
[6:02] safety controls are working in hack.
[6:05] Monitoring is important because it helps
[6:07] staff spot problems before unsafe food
[6:10] reaches the customer. Monitoring may
[6:12] include checking fridge temperatures,
[6:14] freezer temperatures, cooking
[6:16] temperatures, reheating temperatures,
[6:18] hot holding, cold holding, delivery
[6:20] conditions, use by dates, cleaning
[6:23] completion, allergen controls, or pest
[6:25] signs.
[6:27] For example, if a fridge temperature is
[6:29] checked and recorded during the shift,
[6:30] staff can confirm whether chilled food
[6:32] is being kept under control. If the
[6:35] fridge is too warm, action can be taken
[6:37] before the food becomes unsafe.
[6:40] Monitoring must be done at the right
[6:42] time, in the right way, and by the right
[6:44] person. If a check is rushed, guessed,
[6:47] or copied from yesterday's record, it
[6:49] does not protect food safety. At level
[6:52] two, you may be asked to complete checks
[6:54] as part of your normal work. You must
[6:57] complete them honestly and report any
[6:59] result that is outside the safe limit.
[7:01] Monitoring is not just paperwork.
[7:04] It is an active food safety control.
[7:07] For example, checking that cooked food
[7:09] is hot enough, checking that raw and
[7:11] ready to eat foods are separated, or
[7:13] checking that an allergen order has been
[7:15] prepared correctly can all prevent harm.
[7:18] The key messages: monitoring means
[7:20] checking controls before things go
[7:22] wrong. Honest checks help protect
[7:24] customers and support due diligence.
[7:27] Welcome to lesson 3.6, corrective action
[7:30] when things go wrong.
[7:32] Corrective action means what you do when
[7:34] a food safety control fails. In hack, it
[7:38] is not enough to notice a problem. Staff
[7:41] must take action to control the risk.
[7:44] For example, if food has not cooked
[7:46] properly, the corrective action may be
[7:48] to continue cooking and check again. If
[7:50] a fridge is too warm, the corrective
[7:52] action may be to report it, move food to
[7:55] another fridge, check how long the food
[7:57] has been affected, and dispose of unsafe
[7:59] food if needed. If a cleaning task was
[8:02] missed, the corrective action may be to
[8:04] clean and disinfect the area before food
[8:06] preparation continues.
[8:08] If the wrong allergen information is
[8:10] given or the wrong food is prepared for
[8:12] an allergic customer, the food must be
[8:14] stopped and the issue reported
[8:15] immediately.
[8:17] Corrective action should be recorded
[8:19] where required. This shows what went
[8:21] wrong and what was done to protect
[8:23] customers. At level two, your role is to
[8:26] report problems honestly and follow the
[8:28] workplace procedure.
[8:30] Never hide a failed check, change a
[8:32] record to make it look safe, or serve
[8:34] food when safety is uncertain.
[8:37] For example, if a hot holding unit drops
[8:39] below the required standard, do not
[8:41] simply turn it up and carry on without
[8:43] checking the food. Follow the procedure
[8:46] and ask the responsible person. The key
[8:49] message is corrective action protects
[8:51] customers when something goes wrong.
[8:54] Spot the problem, stop the risk, report
[8:56] it, and record the action taken. Welcome
[8:59] to lesson 3.7. Checking the system is
[9:02] working. Hack is not something a
[9:04] business writes once and forgets. The
[9:07] system must be checked to make sure it
[9:09] is working. This is sometimes called
[9:12] verification.
[9:13] It means checking that the food safety
[9:15] procedures, controls, and records are
[9:18] actually protecting food in real life.
[9:21] Managers may check the system by
[9:22] reviewing records, watching staff work,
[9:25] checking temperatures, inspecting
[9:27] storage areas, checking cleaning
[9:28] standards, reviewing complaints,
[9:30] checking allergen procedures, or testing
[9:32] staff knowledge. For example, if the
[9:35] records show that cleaning is completed
[9:37] every day, a manager may still check
[9:39] whether surfaces and equipment are
[9:41] actually clean. If records look perfect,
[9:44] but the kitchen is dirty, the system is
[9:46] not working properly. Another example is
[9:49] cooking records. If food is recorded as
[9:52] cooked safely, managers may check
[9:54] whether staff are using the probe
[9:56] correctly and cleaning it between uses.
[9:58] At level two, your role is to follow
[10:01] procedures properly and answer honestly
[10:02] if asked how a check is done. If
[10:05] something is not working, such as a
[10:07] broken thermometer, unclear record
[10:09] sheet, or unsafe process, you should
[10:11] report it. Checking the system also
[10:14] helps the business improve. If the same
[10:17] problem happens repeatedly, the
[10:18] procedure may need changing. The key
[10:21] message is hacked must be checked,
[10:23] reviewed, and improved.
[10:25] A system only works when records, staff
[10:28] behaviour, and real food safety controls
[10:30] match. Welcome to lesson 3.8. Records
[10:34] and documentation.
[10:36] Records and documentation are an
[10:38] important part of hack because they
[10:39] provide evidence that food safety is
[10:41] being managed.
[10:43] Records may include fridge and freezer
[10:45] checks, cooking temperatures, reheating
[10:47] checks, cooling records, delivery
[10:50] checks, cleaning schedules, pest
[10:52] reports, allergen records, staff
[10:54] training records, and corrective action
[10:56] notes. Documentation may include the
[10:59] food safety policy, safe methods,
[11:01] procedures, hack plans, flow diagrams,
[11:04] supplier information, and instructions
[11:06] for staff. At level two, the most
[11:09] important thing to remember is that
[11:11] records must be honest and accurate.
[11:13] Never write down a temperature without
[11:15] checking it. Never tick cleaning as
[11:18] complete if it was not done. Never copy
[11:21] yesterday's record. Never change
[11:24] paperwork to hide a mistake. A mischeck
[11:27] is a problem, but a false record is
[11:29] worse because it hides the risk and may
[11:31] allow unsafe food to be served. For
[11:33] example, if a fridge is too warm, write
[11:36] the real result and report it. The food
[11:39] may need to be moved, checked, or
[11:41] disposed of, and the action should be
[11:43] recorded. Good records help managers
[11:45] spot patterns. A fridge that slowly gets
[11:48] warmer over several days may be failing.
[11:51] A cleaning task that is often missed may
[11:54] need better supervision. The key
[11:56] messages, hack records are not just
[11:58] paperwork.
[12:00] They show whether food safety is under
[12:02] control, but only if they are completed
[12:03] honestly and used properly.
