Our dairy food safety system

Our dairy food safety system

Australia has a robust regulatory system in place to assure the quality, safety and integrity of its dairy products. The HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system used in Australia is an internationally recognised risk management methodology, which has worked effectively in the dairy industry for a number of years.

The dairy food safety system focuses on the prevention of hazards by identifying all potential risks to food safety and designing controls to prevent them from occurring. These controls must be documented in a food safety program and implemented by all dairy businesses. The food safety programs must cover the requirements specified in Standard 4.2.4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and comply with the Dairy Act 2000 (Vic).

It is DFSV’s responsibility to regulate dairy food safety in the dairy industry in Victoria to ensure state legislation and nationally agreed standards are met. DFSV does this by requiring all dairy premises operating in Victoria to hold a current licence and to implement a DFSV-approved food safety program.

Food safety programs are regularly audited for compliance by DFSV-approved auditors or authorised officers. Our activities provide an independent assessment of food safety systems, and where opportunities for improvement are identified, DFSV requires licensees to implement corrective actions and to document these in their food safety programs.

This approach encourages and facilitates continuous improvement. DFSV endeavours to translate any new information or learning about dairy food safety into manufacturers’ food safety programs. DFSV’s actions and reactions are governed by a scientific, evidence-based foundation in everything that we do. This is fundamental in administering a HACCP-based continuous improvement system.

Food safety incidents can occur, although very rare, through unexpected events and failures within the system. The food safety system contains contingencies to deal with these incidents. In these situations DFSV works closely with the Victorian Department of Health to ensure that any threat to public health is managed.

If results from licensee or DFSV testing indicate a potential health and safety risk to consumers, then a product recall may be required. The steps in the recall process and roles and responsibilities are set out in the FSANZ Food Industry Recall Protocol.

Victoria’s dairy food safety system provides independent assurance of the safety and quality of Victoria’s dairy products. It also offers industry protection and access to world markets.