Sausage Sizzle Saturday 22nd February - CANCELLED Due to Total Fire Ban

Sausage sizzles and barbecues

Sausage sizzles and barbecues are a popular way to raise money for charities and community organisations. They are often held outdoors to take advantage of Australia's good weather and open spaces.

Provided you take some simple food safety precautions and sell freshly cooked food straight from the barbecue, the food should be safe.

Preparing and cooking food safely

Take the following precautions at sausage sizzles and barbecues to ensure that food is safe.

Pack raw meat into insulated boxes with ice bricks for transportation.
Handle food with tongs or other equipment. Use separate equipment to handle raw and cooked meats. Hands should not be used unless absolutely necessary, and then hand washing facilities must be available. Hands must be washed after handling raw meats.
Keep cooked meat and salads separate from raw meat at all times to prevent contamination.
Cover food to protect it from contamination.
Use clean and dry utensils for serving the food - never place cooked meat back on the trays that held the raw meat.
Cook sausages until juices run clear
Throw left-over food away unless refrigeration equipment is available to rapidly cool the food.

Disposable utensils

Wherever possible, single-use (disposable) utensils such as knives, forks, plates and cups should be used and thrown away after use. These items should be kept covered until required and should be handled carefully to minimise any risk of contamination. Re-useable items such as mugs should not be used unless there are facilities available on-site to wash and sanitise them, or there are enough items for the duration of the event.

Water

If water is needed for hand washing or for washing up, a supply adequate to last the event must be provided. The water must be of drinkable quality. If using containers to transport water to the event, make sure that they are clean and have not been used to store chemicals.

If you do not have access to hot water for washing up, make sure that you take enough utensils so that you can use separate utensils for the raw and the cooked food at the event.

Hand washing facilities

Unless a written exemption has been obtained from your local council or health authority, food handlers must wash their hands with warm running water. An exemption is only likely to be issued where enough water is not available for hand washing. In such circumstances the local council or health authority may permit the use of alternatives such as cleaning creams or gels, or sanitising wipes.

If you have access to water, you should set up a temporary hand washing facility that provides running water. You can do this by using a large water container with a tap at its base. Another container, such as a bucket, should collect the wastewater, to keep the site dry and clean.

A supply of soap and paper towels must be provided at the hand washing facility so that hand washing can be undertaken properly. Supply a bin for used towels. This helps to keep the site tidy and prevents contamination from used towels.

Operating Procedures

All volunteers must wear aprons and gloves at all times.
Enclosed shoes must be worn by all people working within the barbecue area.
Hair must be neat and tidy (long hair tied back or wear a hair net).
All persons involved must wear an appropriate shirt (no singlets or inappropriate branding/messaging).
All food products either raw or cooked should not be handled with bare hands.
Separate equipment should be used for cooked and raw products.
Cold food should be kept below 5 degrees, hot food kept above 60 degrees. Please regularly check temperatures with a thermometer.
Bread, onions and meat should only be removed from packaging when cooking and only in the amounts required at that time.
No raw product should be kept uncovered or out of esky prior to cooking.
Cooked onion can create a safety hazard for customers and community groups when dropped on the ground. To reduce this risk, it is suggested that onions are placed on the bread under the sausage when serving.
Money should be handled by people not cooking or handling food products.
Alcoholic beverages are not to be sold or consumed at the BBQ.
Please don’t attend the sausage sizzle if you are feeling unwell.
For the safety of all involved, no persons aged 12 or under are permitted to have a role at the BBQ (including behind the BBQ).
Persons between the age of 13 & 17 can only handle money, take orders and serve food but cannot cook or operate equipment.
For the safety of all involved, only persons over the age of 18 are permitted to cook or operate equipment.
An adult must be present at all times at the BBQ with a higher ratio of adults to children (over 12 years old).