Hand Washing Requirements

Depending on the relative risk of the food you have and the preparation methods, the below serves as a general guide to your requirements for what level of hand washing and hygiene is required on the stand:

HIGH RISK 

A High-risk food is anything that is considered to be potentially hazardous food and requires temperature control. This includes but is not limited to:

• raw or cooked meat, poultry, small goods,
• dairy products, yoghurts, milks,
• seafood (excluding live seafood),
• processed fruit and vegetables (e.g. fruit that will be juiced onsite),
• cooked pasta and rice (e.g. sushi),
• food containing eggs (that are not cooked- e.g. making mayonnaise),
• food containing beans, nuts or other protein rich food,
• prepared sandwiches, rolls, salads and pizza.

For high risk products you must have hand washing facilities on the stand. For full preparation of foods – such as cutting, chopping, mixing then cooking; for hand washing you must have a separate plumbed in hand wash unit with an adequate supply of warm running water (approximately 40°C), liquid soap and disposable paper towels. This must be separate to your plumbed in double bowl sink for washing equipment.

Below is an example of a combination double walled sink and wash unit – refer to the Plumbing Page, this can be hired through the Event Plumber.

** For high risk foods that will be heated only on the stand (such as using a microwave oven, a frypan where all ingredients have been prepared off site) – a powered portable hand wash unit should be installed on the stand.

(Note – The washing of utensils must then be undertaken in the Designated Wash Areas (see below) where there will be a double bowl sink for washing then rinsing the dishes.)

Below is an example of a powered portable hand wash unit – refer to the Plumbing Page, this can be hired through the Event Plumber.

LOW RISK

You are low risk if your products are not handled and involve minimal preparation. This includes but is not limited to:

• dry goods, pickles, salad dressings, bottled marinades, bottled sauces (tomato/ketchup), Asian and soy, pasta sauces
• nuts in the shell, salted/fermented dried meats
• honey and jam, peanut butter
• fruit/plain cakes, biscuits and crackers
• hard cheeses, processed bottled fruit juices,
• unopened canned foods, bottled salsas,
• raw whole fruit and vegetables,
• dried fruit plain bread and bread rolls,
• fully packaged yoghurts and confectionery,

Hand washing is still required on the stand but the system can be a portable one.

NOTE: Low risk exhibitors are responsible for organising their hand washing equipment below themselves. You will need: 

• A portable unit – container, drum or urn (e.g. 10 litre drinking water container) with a tap on the end
• a plastic bucket for waste water
• liquid soap and paper toweling

This is the system whereby the water is tipped out and replaced systematically throughout the show. As exhibitors must wash their hands with warm running water (approximately 40°C), exhibitors should fill up on HOT water from the Designated Wash Areas in their portable unit and bring it back to the stand.

Alternatively, a maximum of 2 stalls may share a hand wash (station) basin as long as it is located within 5 metres of each stall and it is not obstructed.

If the product is PACKAGED – and will NOT BE OPENED at all, then no hand washing at stand is required however hand sanitizer is still recommended..