Food Stars Pty Ltd

Building food safety programs around the world

Ian Doughty and Carole Theobald auditing in Indonesia

The Food Stars Package took four years to develop.

Ian and Carole were contracted to the Commonwealth Government to write a course to help EHOs interpret and apply the food safety standards.

Ian and Carole also wrote four levels of food safety training for TAFEWA

Carole and Ian have produced two food safety video and handbook packages for the Commonwealth Government

Currently, they are helping to develop the Star Award for Food Safety with the Indonesian Government

Food Stars philosophy

The Food Stars program is the culmination of over four year's work by company founders, Ian Doughty and Carole Theobald.

With the introduction of the national Food Safety Standards, certain high risk businesses will need to implement food safety programs and many don't know where to start.

Food Stars founders, Ian Doughty and Carole Theobald, have followed the development of the food safety standards since their inception.  "For a few years there, I was on most of the working parties developing them, so I basically lived and breathed them!", said Ian Doughty.

"Carole and I were very concerned when we saw businesses getting stressed about the standards or, through ignorance, being pressured into implementing food safety programs that they did not understand and that were too cumbersome to maintain," he said.  "So we decided to do something about it and put our money where our mouth is - and Food Stars is the result!"

Don't expect brass bands and hype - there will not be a grand release," said Ian Doughty. "Softly, softly is a better way for us and our clients. Food Stars will crawl before it walks.  Our number one priority is to maintain program integrity, so we will be monitoring our consultants and systems very closely to make sure that every business, regardless of location, gets the same high standard of service."

 "Food safety programs benefit both businesses and the wider community', explained Ian. "Business owners can sleep at night knowing that the food safety program has everything under control.  After all, a business is only as good as the worst product it makes.  If your worst product is still a safe product, the consumer benefits.  No nasty surprises with the food and no doctors bills.  All in all, a win-win situation." 

Between them, Carole and Ian have over 40 years of food safety experience and have developed a wide range of food safety publications.

"Most of our previous publications have been for governments or non-government organisations," explained Carole Theobald. "This time, as we are financing the publications ourselves, we have complete control over their content.  If we or our clients can think of better ways of presenting the information, we can amend the publications without having to go to a committee!  This means we can react quickly to meet industry needs and help businesses prepare for changes to legislation or respond to emerging food safety issues"

The Food Stars Program has been specially written to align with Australia's Food Safety Standards, which are based on international principles developed through Codex Alimentarius - a body of food safety experts that advises the World Health Organisation.  "An added bonus with Food Stars is that it also aligns with a program we have helped to develop for the Indonesian government - so is indirectly contributing to food safety harmonisation in the Asia region."

"The program is flexible enough to be delivered through government or private providers.  We don't mind who provides the resources as long as the professionals delivering the materials and auditing the programs have the skills and knowledge to do so", emphasised Carole.  "The bottom line is that Food Stars is there to help businesses build food safety programs that food handlers can understand and manage themselves."

A bit about the founders...

• The founding directors of Food Stars P/L are Ian Doughty, Director of Laister Consulting Services Pty Ltd and Carole Theobald, Director of Cormorant Technical Services Pty Ltd.

• They are both qualified environmental health officers and between them have over 40 years’ practical experience in the development, interpretation and application of food safety legislation in both the United Kingdom and Australia.  

• Ian Doughty was previously the Principal Food Scientist for the Health Department in Western Australia and was on national working groups to develop the Model Food Act, revise the Food Standards Code and develop the Food Safety Standards.

• Carole Theobald has post graduate qualifications in sciences communication and currently supervises a unit in Food Safety Management for the Masters of Environmental Health Program at Curtin University of Technology.

• They have successfully applied their knowledge to a wide range of food safety activities initially as government officers and since 2000, as private food safety consultants.  They have worked for local, state, national and overseas governments as either enforcement officers or consultants.

• Projects undertaken for the Australian Commonwealth Government have included

  • developing national training resources to facilitate the consistent interpretation and application of food legislation by environmental health officers throughout Australia

  • producing two food safety video and handbook packages for high risk industry sectors (school canteens and delivered meal organisations) that have been distributed to over 13,000 premises throughout Australia.

• Since 2000 they have worked closely with the Indonesian Government to facilitate the development of its National Integrated Food Safety System to protect food safety from paddock to plate.  This major project has involved the establishment of the Food Intelligence, Food Control and Food Safety Communication networks whose activities are synergised through subprograms including the Star Award for Food Safety that introduces food safety programs to small businesses and the Food Watch food monitoring and surveillance program. 

• Mr Doughty and Ms Theobald recently established Food Stars Pty Ltd so they could publish the Food Stars Program, a three level mentored HACCP-based food safety program suitable for Australian food businesses.  This program is currently being implemented in a range of businesses including dairies, abattoirs, hospitals, schools, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers.

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© Food Stars Pty Ltd

Last updated 20th January 2007