Other Valuable Food Safety Services
The Gourmet Guardian also offers training and solutions in a range of other areas:
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Allergen Management
The Gourmet Guardian has been conducting allergen awareness training since 2004 (most people didn't know what an allergy was in 2004). Since that time, our allergen awareness work has included:
- Allergen awareness training for English as Second Language businesses for Maribyrnong City Council (over four separate years);
- Consulting on the award winning Federal Government funded interactive DVD for allergen training for hospitality and food service businesses (All about Allergens);
- Delivering a pilot training program for the Victorian Department of Health;
- Developing a series of allergen fact sheets and work books - initially for use by Maribyrnong City Council, which in turn were updated for the Victorian Department of Health (and are still available today);
- Assisting with the food allergen components in the "Do Food Safely" online training course;
- Delivering allergen awareness training to Enviromental Health Officers in more than 15 different Victorian councils;
- Developing an online food allergen awareness course (and constantly updating the course as legislation changes);
- Developing a HACCP Program for Monash Health's allergen free kitchen and helping Monash Health obtain and maintain independent HACCP Certification;
- Helping Monash Health win the AIFST Allergen Bureau Julie Newlands Award in 2020;
- Helping clients investigate allergen complaints or incidents;
- Developing allergen matrixes for clients;
- Reviewing clients food labels for compliance with the FSANZ Food Standards Code;
- Attending international allergen conferences (FAMS in 2019 and 2021);
- Reviewing clients menu's and advising on allergen claims and allergen wording;
- Being a member of the Allergen Bureau.
Did you know that almost half of all food recalls in Australia are due to manufacturers and importers not identifying allergen or intolerance ingredients in their products?
Are you confident that you know the mandatory food ingredients that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals?
Can you identify food allergens and intolerances in the ingredients that you buy?
Did you know that it is a FSANZ requirement that food manufacturers and retailers provide accurate information about 21 food allergen ingredients that are contained in the foods that they prepare? Depending on where the food items are prepared and if they are packaged determines if these products need to be labeled or if the information can be provided verbally.
The Gourmet Guardian can come to your business and identify all of the food allergens and intolerances in your ingredients, compound ingredients, processing aids and additives. We look at any potential cross contamination issues that may arise, due to where the ingredients are stored, prepared, packaged and dispatched. This information is then provided in an easy to read matrix, and full ingredient list or Product Specification Sheet, which all employees can confidently refer to.
We use and recommend the format agreed on by the Allergen Bureau and supported by most of the largest food manufacturers in Australia.