Required skills

Ability to

interpret and apply relevant legislation standards codes of practice and technical specifications relating to heat treatment of foods

identify microbiological food safety hazards that can occur in heattreated food products

inspect heat treatment plant and equipment to confirm that regulatory industry and business standards are met

apply principles of heat treatment to assess the suitability of thermal processes and related packaging and storage to achieve the food safety objective and minimise the risk of postprocessing contamination

review workplace records and other documentation to verify that the food safety program relating to heat treatment and related processes is being implemented according to the prescribed process

review evidence used by the business to validate the food safety control process

confirm methods and evidence used to evaluate the capacity of equipment processing method and packaging form to deliver heat distribution and heat penetration requirements

Required knowledge

Knowledge of

regulations codes of practice guidelines technical specifications and where appropriate specific product heat treatment requirements and Australian standards relating to heat treatment of foods

target organisms that can occur in heattreated foods and related survival and growth characteristics

principles of heat treatment and application of heatprocessing methods to product types

criteria used to specify and evaluate heat treatment for each heat processing method

factors that impact on heat distribution and heat penetration according to heatprocessing method

principles of operation of commercial heatprocessing equipment including equipment features required to meet regulatory requirements and critical factors to be controlled to ensure delivery of prescribed heat treatment and related processes

procedural safeguards used to track processing of product

principles of packaging to form a suitable seal and impact of packaging system and heat treatment methods and equipment on process effectiveness and packaging integrity

characteristics of raw materials and preprocessing requirements that impact on the microbiological profile and need to be considered in determining the thermal process

postprocessing packaging and handling that impact on the ability to maintain the food safety objective following thermal processing and related prerequisite programs required to support effectiveness of heat treatment processes

food safety risks and controls to avoid postprocess contamination of heattreated product

principles of sampling requirements and test methods to confirm equipment integrity effectiveness of heat treatment packaging system and seal integrity and postprocessing conditions to meet regulatory industry and business standards

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can verify food safety programs involving heat treatment processes to meet regulatory industry and business standards They must also demonstrate capacity to confirm that appropriate validation has occurred

Assessment must be carried out in a manner that recognises the cultural and literacy requirements of the assessee and is appropriate to the work performed Competency in this unit must be achieved in accordance with food safety standards and regulations

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessment must confirm that the candidate can

identify productspecific risks and typical processing methods for a range of products including sources of information on heat treatment requirements

participate in audits of HACCPbased food safety programs to demonstrate ability and knowledge of technical aspects of heat treatment processes

Assessment must include the demonstration of appropriate methods including the use of time temperature indicators TTIs to measure the effectiveness of a range of heat treatment Related processes such as evaluation of raw materials sterilisation of packaging and equipment relevant to aseptic systems and postprocess handling will be considered where they directly impact on the effectiveness of heat treatment

Assessment requires participation in at least two audits of different heat treatment processes For given scenarios where prescribed processing requirements are not met assess adequacy of evidence used to determine response procedures

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency may be assessed in an actual workplace or simulated environment that provides access to the required resources At least one of the audit scenarios should be assessed in an actual workplace context

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices safety requirements and environmental constraints

The following resources must be available

food safety plans covering heat treatment processes

food safetyrelated documentation typical of commercial manufacturing businesses and used for the purpose of verification

evidence and documentation relevant to heat treatment processes that would typically be used by commercial manufacturing businesses to support validation processes

plant and equipment that would typically be used in a commercial manufacturing business

Method of assessment

This unit only covers the technical skills and knowledge related to the specific area of risk Generic food safety auditing skills and knowledge are covered in prerequisite units While participation in audit processes should follow good auditing practice as specified by prerequisite units formal assessment of generic food safety auditing competence does not need to be repeated when assessing this unit

The following assessment methods should be considered to gather sufficient and valid evidence of competency

observation and a report covering the audits specified in this Evidence Guide

oral and written questioning to test the level and application of underpinning knowledge

demonstration of appropriate methods including the use of time temperature indicators TTIs to measure the effectiveness of a range of heat treatment

The audits conducted for the purpose of assessment must be witnessed by an auditor competent to audit a heat treatment process

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of FDF Food Processing Industry Training Package

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of FDF10 Food Processing Industry Training Package.

Guidance information for assessment

To ensure consistency in ones performance competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances cases and responsibilities and where possible over a number of assessment activities

Heat treatment processes

Validation

Validation evidence

Verification

Business standards

Relevant legislation, standards, codes of practice and technical specifications

Factors that affect heat distribution and heat penetration

Commercial heat processing equipment

Packaging

Product sealing processes

Prerequisite programs

Test methods

Additional reference material