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Do I need a food safety program?

Licensable food businesses must have an accredited food safety program if:

  • the food business involves off-site catering, e.g. provides catering at events
  • the primary activity of the food business is on-site catering
  • the primary activity of the food business is on-site catering at part of the premises where they are catering to 200 or more people on 12 or more occasions in any 12 month period, eg convention centre
  • the food business is carried on as part of the operations of a private hospital or otherwise processes or serves potentially hazardous food to six or more vulnerable people.  For example: nursing home, childcare facility.

Read more about food safety programs for:

Other food businesses that are not required to have a food safety program may choose to apply for accreditation of a food safety program.

What are the benefits of a food safety program?

Even if you don't need to have an accredited food safety program, you can still create one for your food business.  A food safety program will give you the tools and techniques to adopt best practices in food safety.

An appropriate and well implemented food safety program can help a food business:

  • ensure food for sale is safe
  • manage their operations better through improved record keeping and cost control
  • demonstrate that all due diligence was exercised in the preparation and sale of food.

How to create a food safety program

A food business is able to use any food safety program template to develop a food safety program, provided the completed program meets the criteria set out in the Food Act 2006.

The following templates can be used to help develop a food safety program tailored to your food business:

More information

Contact your local council if would like more information about whether your food business needs a food safety program.

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Last updated:
9 June 2021
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