Application
This unit describes the skills required to preserve and cook foodstuffs in a survival situation. This unit also covers the prudent management of food assets and implementing personal measures to minimise energy expenditure to enhance survival chances. The individual is not expected to be a camp chef, but rather to possess sufficient skills and knowledge to obtain, where possible, a measure of sustenance from the environment through cooking, or preserving for longer-term consumption.
This unit was developed for Defence personnel but may be relevant to others.
The skills and knowledge described in this unit must be applied within the legislative, regulatory and policy environment in which they are carried out. Organisational policies and procedures must be consulted and adhered to.
Those undertaking this unit would act autonomously, while performing concrete tasks, in a broad range of contexts which may be highly unpredictable.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions section. |
1. Preserve and cook flora and fauna | 1.1 Apply testing procedures to unknown flora to identify their fitness for consumption. 1.2 Remove harmful components of animal and vegetable foodstuffs. 1.3 Use improvised cooking techniques to prepare animal and vegetable foodstuffs for consumption to reduce the chances of acquiring parasites and germs. 1.4 Use improvised preserving techniques to preserve animal and vegetable foodstuffs to allow long-term storage without any harmful organisms spoiling the foodstuff. |
2. Manage food resources | 2.1 Implement energy management techniques to minimise unnecessary wastage. 2.2 Ration foodstuffs in accordance with survival requirements. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence required to demonstrate competence must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria. If not otherwise specified the candidate must demonstrate evidence of performance of the following on at least one occasion.
using improvised cooking techniques for at least one animal and at least one vegetable foodstuff by two of the following methods on different meal occasions:
roasting
earth oven
boiling
grilling/frying
applying safety principles to ensure potential parasites and other organisms are destroyed by cooking, without destroying the foodstuff by burning or overcooking
preserving foodstuff for at least one animal and at least one vegetable foodstuff quantity sufficient for at least two separate survival meals by two of the following methods:
drying
smoking
salting
using curing techniques, making sure that maggot or bacterial infestation does not spoil the foodstuff (the preserved foodstuff should not suffer deterioration for two days [minimum] after curing, and must then be consumed by the survivor as part of their survival diet)
Evidence of Knowledge
Evidence required to demonstrate competence must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria. If not otherwise specified the depth of knowledge demonstrated must be appropriate to the job context of the candidate.
fire safety
food testing procedures
recognition of edible plants
Assessment Conditions
Competency must be assessed in a simulated workplace environment and demonstrated at least once in the test procedure for unknown flora and, as detailed, over a range of occasions for cooking and preserving that could be expected in a survival situation.
Consideration must be given to holistic assessment with other survival units.
While a person can demonstrate the technical ability to cook and preserve foodstuffs, doing so in a survival situation is crucial. Assessment under simulated survival conditions includes:
food restrictions
absence of normal living conditions and amenities
significant period of time
Refer to advice in the companion volumes.
Assessors must satisfy the NVR/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
Foundation Skills
The foundation skills demands of this unit have been mapped for alignment with the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). The following tables outline the performance levels indicated for successful attainment of the unit.
ACSF levels indicative of performance:
Further information on ACSF and the foundation skills underpinning this unit can be found in the Foundation Skills Guide on the GSA website.
Competency Field
Survival