The importance of health and safety in the food industry is highly regarded and respected – there is no bigger blight on your business than evidence of food poisoning or questionable practices. This was highlighted at Fine Food Australia last week – the biggest food trade event in the country. Exhibitors included the Food Safety Unit from the Victorian Government, the Australian Institute of Food Safety and suppliers of products that promote food safety practices. With a dedicated presence from these groups, food, health and work safety optimization was at its very best.

Food trucks are becoming increasingly popular, however the legalities and safety issues are not as well known. The Food Safety Unit from the Victorian Government was exhibiting at Fine Food Australia with the intent to raise awareness and educate those in the industry – from food allergens to food labeling laws, the framework for food safety was made easy to understand.

For example, the Unit’s Food Atlas is a tool that helps regulators associate risk with foods and preparation processes that are unique to different cultural backgrounds. Diversity is ever increasing, especially as interest grows in the food industry – knowing how to prepare and plate food that is both safe and culturally correct is important. Plenty of Fine Food Australia exhibitors were given advice that would not only benefit their business, but their customer.

Even something as simple as labeling food needs to be optimized so as to be safe for health and work – customers need to receive adequate information (price, product, pertinent information) while workers need to be able to access food without damage to both product and signage. That’s why exhibitors like InteractCard were a vital stop for many foodservice providers at the show.

Technological advances mean exhibitors such as Monika are presenting technology such as the TaskMinder and PathFinder. Using innovative wireless technology, the equipment serves as task management solutions and data monitoring respectively. Creating efficient solutions to necessary tasks provides workers easy to follow systems, accurate monitoring for managers and, most importantly, peace of mind for consumers.

These are just some of the exhibitors at Fine Food Australia whose intention was to better food, health and work safety in the food industry. Along with hundreds of other exhibitors, there’s no doubt that the industry will be far better optimized thanks to the show.