Fictional. Steps 2 and 3 of 12. The and below are placeholders, not measurements. A real plan would measure them, because they decide what can grow in the food.
| Product description | Filled in for this example |
|---|---|
| Name | Chicken curry, chilled, for reheating and hot service |
| Composition | Raw diced chicken thigh, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, dry spice blend, yoghurt, cashew paste, oil, salt, water |
| Declared | Milk (yoghurt), cashew. The supplier of the spice blend also declares possible wheat, so the plan treats wheat as possible and says so when asked. |
| (placeholder) | About 5.5. Not acidic enough to stop growing. |
| (placeholder) | Above 0.95. High enough for to grow. |
| Preservatives | None. Safety depends on . |
| Classification | : it has to be kept at certain temperatures to minimise growth or ( cl 1). Also once reheated. |
| Process | Cooked in a steam kettle, cooled in a , portioned, chilled, reheated in a combi oven, hot held |
| Batch size | 40 kg in one kettle, about 3 to 4 cooks a week |
| Packaging | 1 kg food-grade trays with a film lid. Not vacuum packed and no modified atmosphere. |
| Shelf life | 5 days at 5 °C or below, counting the day of cooking and the day of service. recommends no more than 5 days at 5 °C or below for unless longer is shown to be safe. allows 5 days but ties it to 4 °C. |
| Storage | Cool room at 5 °C or below, target 3 °C |
| Label on each tray | Name, batch number, date made, use-by date, . §7.11.1 asks for production date, food type, establishment and lot. |
| Distribution | None. Moved from the cool room to the kitchen on the same premises. |
| Intended use | Filled in for this example |
|---|---|
| How it is used | Reheated once by trained staff, hot held and served hot on a plate. It is not eaten cold. |
| Who eats it | General public, adults and children, in a casual staff and visitor dining room |
| Vulnerable groups | Not targeted, but pregnant people, older people and people with weakened immune systems may eat here. asks for tighter controls where food is meant for such groups. If this food were made for a care facility, hospital or delivered meals service, the plan would need redoing. In Australia, Standard 3.3.1 requires a for that kind of service. |
| People with allergies | are shown at the point of service and given on request. In Australia, unpackaged food sold to the public still needs the information displayed or provided on request (Standard 1.2.1, via ). |
| Known misuse | Staff reheating in a bain-marie. Saving leftovers for tomorrow. Keeping a tray past its date because it looks fine. says known unintended use belongs in the . |
lists differ by place. Australia's list in Schedule 9 of the has 13 entries, and it does not include mustard or celery. A spice blend these, so check the list that applies where you sell food.
Sources: Codex CXC 1-1969, Rev. 2022, §19.2, §19.3, §19.6Food Standards Code Standard 3.2.2 cl 1 (comp. 8, 13 Aug 2025)Food Standards Code Schedule 9, S9-3Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.3 (comp. 6, 29 Oct 2024)Safe Food Australia, 4th edition, p 34 (storage)Codex CXC 39-1993 §7.7.4, §7.11.1 (official text: Codex codes of practice list)Food Standards Code Standard 1.2.1, s 1.2.1-9 (unlabelled food)Food Standards Code Standard 3.3.1 (in FSANZ Code compilation, Aug 2026)