Temperature monitoring, allergen risk and the future of food safety

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HACCP AUSTRALIA NEWSLETTER

HACCP Australia showcases the best food safe equipment and hygiene practices

Industry Insight

What happened between temperature checks?

Your fridge was checked at 8am. It was checked again at 4pm. Both readings were fine.

But what happened in between?

For many food businesses, temperature records are still treated as a daily task to tick off. Yet when something goes wrong, whether it is a failed unit, a product complaint, an audit question or a potential food safety incident, the real issue is often not the reading itself. It is whether the business can show what happened, when it happened and what action was taken.

That is where temperature records become more than paperwork.

Good records help tell the full story of temperature control across temperature-sensitive environments. They can show whether products remained within the required range, whether a temperature excursion occurred, and whether corrective action was taken quickly enough.

In a recent article, HACCP Australia certified supplier AFSTC looks at what temperature records should include and why manual checks may not always give businesses the complete picture they need.

For food businesses reviewing their monitoring processes, it is a timely reminder that an audit-ready record is not just a number on a page. It is evidence that food safety controls are working when no one is watching.

Read the full article from AFSTC to see whether your temperature records are telling the full story.

Professional Development

Strengthen your food safety knowledge with online HACCP training

Food safety training should not wait until there is a gap, audit finding or compliance issue.

The HACCP Australia Online Academy, delivered in partnership with the National Food Institute, gives food industry professionals practical, self-paced online training designed for real food business environments.

Courses are available for individuals and teams, with options covering HACCP fundamentals, Advanced HACCP, food handling, allergen management, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, food packaging, fresh produce, restaurants, cafés and catering.

For businesses, online training provides an affordable and practical way to build capability across your team, support compliance, reduce food safety risk and strengthen confidence in day-to-day operations. For individuals, it is a cost-effective way to build recognised food safety knowledge, strengthen your CV and stand out in a competitive job market.

Courses can be completed online, at your own pace, with options available for single enrolments or multiple staff licences.

Enrol now and give your team the food safety knowledge they need before it becomes urgent.

Explore Courses

Industry Insight

Undeclared allergens remain a leading recall risk

FSANZ’s 2025 food recall statistics, released in May 2026, show that undeclared allergens remained the leading cause of food recalls in Australia, accounting for 38 percent of all recalls.

Milk, wheat and gluten, and tree nuts were among the most common allergens involved. FSANZ also identified packaging errors, accidental cross contact and failure to communicate ingredient changes as key contributing factors.

These findings are a useful reminder that allergen management is not just a labelling issue. In many cases, the final label is where the problem becomes visible, but the cause may sit much earlier in the process.

The question is not simply whether allergens are declared. It is whether the system can reliably identify allergen risks before a product reaches the customer, and show evidence that the right checks have been completed.

HACCP Australia works with food businesses to strengthen these controls through HACCP-based food safety programmes, vendor quality assurance, audit preparation, staff training and online allergen management training.

For businesses reviewing allergen risk, the latest FSANZ recall data is a timely prompt to check whether systems are keeping pace with the way products, ingredients, suppliers and packaging are changing.

Future Focus

Can AI help food businesses spot risk before it becomes a recall?

Food businesses already collect large amounts of data, from monitoring records and audit findings to complaints, supplier documentation and corrective actions.

AI may help identify patterns in that information earlier, but it cannot replace the need for sound hazard analysis, effective controls, verification and trained judgement.

In our latest article, we look at where AI may fit within food safety management, and why strong HACCP-based systems remain essential.

Regulatory Watch

Cell-cultured foods move further into the regulatory conversation

Food innovation is continuing to challenge the way food safety, labelling and consumer information are assessed.

FSANZ is currently considering an application to amend the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to permit the use of cell-cultured duck biomass as a food ingredient. The consultation is part of the formal assessment process used to consider safety, composition, labelling and other regulatory requirements before new food technologies can enter the market.

For food businesses, the application is another reminder that innovation does not sit outside food safety. New ingredients, production methods and technologies still need to be assessed through a structured risk-based process.

While cell-cultured foods may not yet be part of everyday food manufacturing in Australia, they are becoming part of the broader regulatory conversation. Businesses involved in product development, ingredient supply, food technology or future food categories should continue to watch this space.

Submissions on the current FSANZ consultation close 22 July 2026.

Event Spotlight

FOODPRO Returns to Melbourne

FOODPRO 2026 will return to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 26 to 29 July, bringing together the food processing, packaging and manufacturing sectors for four days of innovation, networking and industry insight.

For food businesses and suppliers, the event is a valuable opportunity to explore the technologies, equipment, packaging, ingredients and services shaping the future of food production in Australia.

From a food safety perspective, events such as FOODPRO are also an important reminder of the role that fit-for-purpose products, hygienic design and independently assessed materials play across the food supply chain. Whether it is processing equipment, food contact materials, cleaning and sanitation products, flooring, walling, pest management, storage or logistics, every part of the production environment has a role to play in supporting safe food outcomes.

We wish all HACCP Australia and HACCP International clients exhibiting and attending FOODPRO 2026 a successful and productive show.

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