A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry August 2000
Contents: Bacteria in minimally processed lettuce | More on monosodium glutamate | Wallis Lake oyster contamination | Salmonellae in fruit juices | Algal blooms | Safe Food Australia | Refrigerated retail cabinets | Ciguatera poisoning
Refrigerated retail cabinets
In August 1999 we discussed in some detail the revision of the Australian Standard (AS1731) for frozen food retail cabinets.
Standards Australia has now released a new Standard AS 1731.1-2000 titled Refrigerated display cabinets. The Standard has 12 parts and as the title implies nominates requirements for retail display cabinets which hold chilled foods as well as for those which hold frozen foods. This will be the first time that there has been an Australian Standard to cover cabinets designed for retail display of chilled foods and represents an important complementary initiative to the food safety reforms being undertaken by the Australian New Zealand Food Authority.
In common with the British and European standards on which it is modelled, AS1731.1-2000 recognises two classifications of frozen food cabinet and three classifications of chilled food cabinet based on temperature requirements. Details are to be found in Part 6 of the Standard.
Another major change in the new Standard is to be found in Part 11: Installation, maintenance and user guide, which contains guidelines on siting of cabinets within a retail store, and cabinet loading and operation as well as installation and maintenance.
For further information contact:
Standards Australia
Telephone: 02 9746 4700 Fax: 02 9746 8450
Food Science Australia
PO Box 52, North Ryde 1670. Tel +61 2 9490 8397 Fax +61 2 9490 8499
Email enquiries@csiro.au