What a NSW Food Authority audit actually involves
A routine NSW Food Authority audit of a Class 2 food business in Sydney typically covers: reviewing the Food Safety Program for currency and accuracy, checking temperature monitoring records for completeness, verifying probe thermometers are calibrated, directly measuring refrigeration temperatures, reviewing corrective action records, requesting the Food Safety Supervisor certificate, observing staff food handling practices, and checking allergen management procedures.
The businesses that pass without findings have current, site-specific FSPs that are actively implemented. The businesses that receive improvement notices have outdated plans, missing records, or uncalibrated equipment — issues that AMES identifies and fixes in the pre-audit gap assessment before an inspector sees them.
Food Safety Program currency · Temperature monitoring record completeness · Probe thermometer calibration status · Refrigeration unit temperatures · Corrective action documentation · Food Safety Supervisor certificate validity · Allergen management procedures · Cleaning schedule compliance · Supplier records
The most common audit failures in Sydney cafes
- Food Safety Program describes a menu or process that no longer exists — never updated after a menu change
- Temperature logs with gaps — weeks where no monitoring was recorded
- Probe thermometers that have never been calibrated, or that are demonstrably out of range
- No corrective action records — suggesting either perfection or a broken monitoring system
- Food Safety Supervisor certificate lapsed or the FSS has left the business
- No allergen management section in the FSP post-2021 FSANZ amendments
- Cooling procedures described in the FSP but not being followed in practice
What you receive from a gap assessment
A written report assessing your cafe's food safety system against Standard 3.2.1, Standard 3.2.2, and Standard 3.2.2A requirements. Each finding is categorised as critical (needs immediate attention), major (needs to be resolved before any audit), or minor (improvement recommended). A prioritised action plan tells you exactly what to fix and in what order.
AMES can also carry out the remediation work — updating the FSP, writing missing SOPs, retraining staff on corrective action documentation — as a follow-on engagement after the gap assessment.
Learn more about our auditing services or view fixed-price packages.