This
document (usually refered to as a standard) acts as an essential guideline for
premises to use in order to stay within the law. It is an approved document that
offers guidelines for best practice. If these guidelines are followed by
operators they are therefore compliant with legislation. The practices contained
within IS 340 are an essential pre-requisite for following the more recently
approved guidelines of IS 343 (See further information under IS 343)
The
IS 340 document sets out the requirements that must be met by caterers to ensure
that the storage , preparation , handling and where applicable transportation
and distribution of food is carried out in a hygienic way.
The
document contains effective controls and monitoring procedures for all the
critical points where there are potential hazards to food safety. It applies to
all catering premises where food is prepared and served and includes
restaurants, hotels, canteens and public houses.
It
was developed under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise and Employment
in 1994 having been compiled by an industry working group with
representatives from organisations such as the IHF, IHCI , CERT, VFI, The Health
Boards, Bord Failte and The Catering Mangement Association.
Since the introduction of the FSAI in 1998 they (rather than the minister) are now responsible for the introduction and approval of standards as seen in the case of the more recent IS 343 document.
IS
340 requirements that must be met by the caterer are based on the HACCP system.
The
document covers the following key areas
Hygiene
Policy
Food
Safety
Personnel
Hygiene
Cleaning
Pest
Control
Storage
and Transport
Zoning
Services
Premises
and Structures
Plant
and Equipment
Training
Management
and Records
Copies
of the Standard are available from the
NSAI,
Dublin
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9,
Ireland
Telephone:
+353 1 8073800
Fax: +353 1 8073838
Email: nsai@nsai.ie