Depending on the relative risk of the food you have, and the preparation methods, the below serves as a general guide to your requirements for what level of hand washing and hygiene is required on the stand:

Please Note: Restrictions around Hand Washing and the Safe Handling of Food will be enforced more strictly for the 2024 show, please read the below information carefully and ensure you have the appropriate protocols and processes in place

HIGH RISK 

A High-risk food is anything that is considered to be potentially hazardous food and requires temperature control. This includes but is not limited to:

• raw or cooked meat, poultry, small goods,
• dairy products, yoghurts, milks,
• seafood (excluding live seafood),
• processed fruit and vegetables (e.g. fruit that will be juiced onsite),
• cooked pasta and rice (e.g. sushi),
• food containing eggs (that are not cooked- e.g. making mayonnaise),
• food containing beans, nuts or other protein rich food,
• prepared sandwiches, rolls, salads and pizza.

For high risk products you must have hand washing facilities on the stand. For full preparation of foods – such as cutting, chopping, mixing then cooking; for hand washing you must have a separate plumbed in hand wash unit with an adequate supply of warm running water (approximately 40°C), liquid soap and disposable paper towels. This must be separate to your plumbed in double bowl sink for washing equipment.

Please refer to the Plumbing – water, waste and compressed air page for order information

** For high risk foods that will be heated only on the stand (such as using a microwave oven, a frypan where all ingredients have been prepared off site) – a powered portable hand wash unit should be installed on the stand.

(Note – The washing of utensils must then be undertaken in the Designated Wash Areas (see below) where there will be a double bowl sink for washing then rinsing the dishes.)

Please refer to the Plumbing – water, waste and compressed air page for order information.

LOW RISK

You are low risk if your products are not handled and involve minimal preparation. This includes but is not limited to:

• dry goods, pickles, salad dressings, bottled marinades, bottled sauces (tomato/ketchup), Asian and soy, pasta sauces
• nuts in the shell, salted/fermented dried meats
• honey and jam, peanut butter
• fruit/plain cakes, biscuits and crackers
• hard cheeses, processed bottled fruit juices,
• unopened canned foods, bottled salsas,
• raw whole fruit and vegetables,
• dried fruit plain bread and bread rolls,
• fully packaged yoghurts and confectionery,

Hand washing is still required on the stand but the system can be a portable one.

NOTE: Low risk exhibitors are responsible for organising their hand washing equipment below themselves. You will need: 

• A portable unit – container, drum or urn (e.g. 10 litre drinking water container) with a tap on the end
• a plastic bucket for waste water
• liquid soap and paper toweling

This is the system whereby the water is tipped out and replaced systematically throughout the show. As exhibitors must wash their hands with warm running water (approximately 40°C), exhibitors should fill up on HOT water from the Designated Wash Areas in their portable unit and bring it back to the stand.

Alternatively, a maximum of 2 stalls may share a hand wash (station) basin as long as it is located within 5 metres of each stall and it is not obstructed.

If the product is PACKAGED – and will NOT BE OPENED at all, then no hand washing at stand is required however hand sanitizer is still recommended.

The organisers will provide marked, dedicated wash areas for you to rinse out and clean your equipment (such as washing of tongs, platters, small pots from induction cooker, frypans, etc) for those exhibitors that do not have their own plumbed in sink.

Please refer to the floorplan for your nearest wash station for those exhibitors that do not have their own plumbed in sink

NO FOOD PREPARATION CAN OCCUR IN THESE WASH AREAS.

Please note: 

• The organisers will provide liquid soap, detergent, scourer, sponges and paper towelling. These will be replaced each day but we encourage all exhibitors to bring their own sponges, scourers and other cleaning equipment if they can.
• There will be food grade bench sanitiser provided at the stations.
• ALL EXHIBITORS must sanitize their hands before and after going to the wash area. There will be hand sanitizing stations located near the wash areas.
• There will be a limited number of people at the stations at one time and all exhibitors will need to adhere to the social distancing rules in these areas. There will be signage onsite depending on the restrictions at the time. If the wash area is full, please wait before accessing or attend an alternate wash area.

Please contact Mary Whelan, Food Services Advisor on 0408 039 964 or email: [email protected].