The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) are introducing some changes to the Simply Safe & Suitable Template Food Control Plan based on feedback from food businesses using the plan and the verifiers that check those plans.

What’s changed?

Some of the key changes include:

• changing the pH requirements for acidified rice in the ‘Making sushi’ card
• adding time/temperature requirements for hot smoking seafood
• allowing food businesses to prove their method for cooling freshly cooked food, and reheating food
• expanding the scope of the ‘Using acid to control bugs’ requirements to allow for more than just pickling of meat, fruits and vegetables
• updating the visual description of the 2 hour/4 hour requirement
• adding a visual description of the cooling freshly cooked food requirement

More details on the changes can be found in the summary of submissions from the consultation on the MPI website.

What this means for food businesses

If your business has a Simply Safe & Suitable Template Food Control Plan, you need to update your plan to reflect these changes:

• Update specific cards in your Food Control Plan as soon as possible
• The new, full plan must be complete by 20 February 2024

Our Environmental Health Officers will be checking for compliance with these changes as part of future inspections. They are happy to answer any questions you have about implementing these change:

Phone: 07 884 0060

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.