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🔥 Holiday Gear-Up Series, Part 2: Update Your Food Safety Program Before the Holidays

December–January is peak season for Queensland hospitality.It’s also peak season for:

  • Heatwaves

  • High-volume prep

  • Staff turnover

  • Casuals who forget procedures

  • Council inspections

  • Food safety complaints

And nothing exposes a weak food safety program faster than:

👉 A slammed December kitchen with tired staff and missing paperwork.


Before the rush hits, now is the time to tighten your food safety foundations — not after something goes wrong.

Here’s exactly what to focus on.


chef with flaming pan and food safety program.
It's hard to make food safety exciting


🔎 Why You Must Update Your Food Safety Program BEFORE December


A food safety program isn’t a binder on a shelf.It’s the backbone of:

  • Safe food handling

  • Consistent procedures

  • Staff confidence

  • Compliance

  • Business reputation

  • Customer safety

  • Stress-free council visits

When the holiday chaos hits, your food safety system is either rock solid…or it becomes the source of your biggest headaches.

And if your logs are incomplete?Or you're missing procedures?Or the folder is “somewhere in the office?”

December will expose you.


📝 The 6 Critical Food Safety Areas to Update Now


Let’s break it down:


1. Reprint Missing Logs & Checklists


In December, missing logs = immediate risk.

Make sure you have fresh, clean copies of:

  • Cooling logs

  • Temperature logs

  • Cleaning schedules

  • Pest control records

  • Opening & closing checklists

  • Allergen matrices

  • Staff training records

Don’t wait until mid-December when everyone suddenly realises they’re out of pages.


2. Replace Outdated Procedures


Many venues haven’t updated their food safety procedures in years.

Before peak season:

  • Check all SOPs are current

  • Update cooking, cooling & reheating procedures

  • Simplify instructions for casual staff

  • Remove old or irrelevant steps

  • Ensure Queensland-specific requirements are met

When six new staff walk in next week, these procedures should be their safety net.


3. Update Your Approved Supplier List


December = supplier closures + delivery delays.

Make sure your Approved Supplier List is:

  • Current

  • Includes backup suppliers

  • Has updated order cut-offs

  • Includes Christmas closure dates

  • Matches any product changes

It’s much easier to update this now than mid-service on December 22nd.


4. Train Your Team (Even the Old Hands)


Food safety training is not a one-time event.

Before the festive rush:

  • Re-train on cooling procedures

  • Review allergen handling

  • Revisit cross-contamination risks

  • Refresher on hot-holding temperatures

  • Ensure every staff member knows the basics

This protects customers and staff.


5. Check That Your Food Safety Folder Is Actually Accessible


If your Food Safety Program is:

  • On one computer no one uses

  • Sitting under the office printer

  • Missing pages

  • Unlabelled

  • Or “we’ll find it later”…

Fix it now.

The folder should be clean, organised, easy to grab, and ready for an unannounced visit.


6. Conduct a Mini Internal Audit


A 15-minute internal audit will save you hours of stress later.

Check:

  • Thermometers calibrated

  • All fridges/freezers holding correct temps

  • Staff using the right logs

  • Cleaning tasks completed

  • Pest control up-to-date

  • All labels legible

  • Storage organised

  • High-risk items dated correctly

This one step puts you ahead of 90% of venues heading into peak season.


🎁 Need a Shortcut? I’ve Already Done the Hard Work for You.


If this list feels overwhelming — or you know your system hasn’t been touched since COVID — this is exactly what my Food Safety Success System is built for.

You’ll get:

✔ A complete, QLD-compliant food safety program

✔ All policies & procedures

✔ All logs, checklists, and forms

✔ Essentials or Pro Edition

✔ Ready-to-print folders

✔ Easy to train staff with

✔ Lifetime updates

✔ Support during implementation


Instead of piecing things together, you’ll have a fully built system ready to go before December hits hard.


🟦 Explore the full package here: bambamculinaryconsultants.com/services


🎉 BLACK FRIDAY BONUS — Limited Until 30/11/25


For venues preparing for Christmas, I’m offering:


🔥 20% OFF the Food Safety Success System

When you schedule a FREE 15-minute discovery call before 30/11/25.


No sales pressure — just a quick chat to see what your venue needs and whether the system is a fit.



December is coming fast.Don’t leave your food safety program behind.

 
 
 

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