Food Business

What is a Food Premises?

A food premises means any premises at, on or from which food is prepared/manufactured, stored for the purposes of distribution, or sold. 

If you are opening a food premises or if you plan to serve food as part of your accommodation premises you need to apply to Register before you can open your premises. 

The Environmental Health Department at Council can assist you with setting up a food premises within the municipality.  Please ring and speak to an Environmental Health Officer on (03) 5349 1100 to discuss your plans and to arrange a pre-registration inspection.

Fixed Premises Food Business Registration

Registration and Renewal Fees 2025/26

Food Premises Classification
 Registration  Renewal     
Class 1 $669.00  $446.00
Class 2 - Supermarkets $721.50  $481.00
Class 2 - Other $577.50  $385.00
Class 3 $421.50  $281.00
Class 4 $0.00  $0.00
Community Groups - Class 2 or 3 $217.50  $145.00

Business Dual Registration
 Food Premises with another Fixed / Mobile / Temporary Food Registration - registration fee for each extra registration

 $165.00  $110.00

Community Group Dual Registration
 Community Group Food Premises with Mobile / Temporary Food Registration

 $84.00  $56.00

Food Business Classification

Some businesses have a predetermined classification.   Ring and speak to an Environmental Health Officer on (03) 5349 1100 or visit Health Victoria - Food Business Classification to determine your business class.

If you are a Class 1 and Class 2 Premises you will need a:

 

Complete Food Registration Form

When you are ready to register fill out the application form - Register a Food Premises(PDF, 453KB) 

Class 4 Premises must complete and return a Notification Application - Notification of a Food Premises(PDF, 340KB)

Renewals are due on 31st December.

If you have a Fixed Food Premises registration as well as a FoodTrader Mobile or Temporary registration a discounted fee is now offered on your second and any additional registrations.

Please note permits may also be required from the Planning and Building departments. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all appropriate permits have been sought.

Mobile and Temporary Premises Food Business Registration

All Mobile and Temporary food premises that sell food and/or drinks are managed under a statewide registration and notification scheme run by the Victorian Department of Health.  This system allows business and community groups that may have previously been required to register at multiple different councils each year to operate under the one registration and just notify each Council when and where they intend to trade. 

FoodTrader is also the registration system for water carter and vending machine businesses trading in Victoria.

Once registered on FoodTrader you can trade anywhere in Victoria, just submit a Statement of Trade for every event you plan to attend so the relevant Council knows when and where you are trading.

Visit FoodTrader to Register or submit a Statement of Trade.

If you have any questions about whether you need to register on FoodTrader as a Temporary or Mobile Food premise please contact us on (03) 5349 1100 or visit the FoodTrader website.

FoodTrader Temporary and Mobile Food Registrations and Renewals

If you register on FoodTrader there are registration and renewal fees that apply unless you are only doing Class 4 activities such as a sausage sizzle.  Your registration won't be processed until your fee has been paid.  Registrations are due for renewal on 31st December each year. 

2025/26 FoodTrader Premises Registration Fees

 

 Renewal Fees
Class 2 Mobile  $721.50 $481.00
Class 2 Temporary Premises  $291.00 $194.00
Class 3 Mobile

 $421.50

 $281.00
Class 3 Temporary Premises  $213.00 $142.00
Class 4 Notification  $0.00 $0.00
Community Group - Class 2 or 3 Mobile  $217.50 $145.00
Community Groups - Class 2 or 3 Temporary Premises  $111.00 $74.00

Fees Updated 01/07/2025

Dual Food Registrations

If you operate more than one temporary premises or mobile food van please be aware that they all need to be registered and a fee may apply to each separate registration. 

If you have a Fixed Food Premises registration as well as a FoodTrader Mobile or Temporary registration or you operate more than one FoodTrader premises a discounted fee is now offered on your second and any additional registrations.

Extra Premises Registration Registration / Renewal Fees
Business with more than one Food Registration (Fixed Premises and/or Mobile/Temporary) - reduced fee on second and any additional registrations (each) $110.00
Community Group with more than one Food Registration (Fixed Premises and/or Mobile/Temporary) - reduced fee on second and any additional registrations (each) $56.00

Community Groups and Fundraising

If you are a Community Group doing fundraising by selling food to the public you still have certain obligations are under the Food Act.  Depending on what you are selling and whether you are operating from a fixed premises or from a temporary or mobile location you need to either register or notify with your local Council directly or via FoodTrader. 

Please click on the link below to view a short video and interactive website developed by the Victoria Department of Health to help community groups understand and meet their food safety obligations.

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/food-safety/information-for-community-groups-selling-food-to-raise-funds 

Other laws

Registering on FoodTrader and lodging an SOT ensures that you have complied with the Food Act.

There may also be other laws that apply to your trading.  For example, you may need:

  • permission from a council to operate on council land, or if trading on a street, etc.
  • permission from the land owner if you intend to operate on private land
  • permission from the event organiser, if operating at events or markets
  • other required licences – such as a liquor licence (if applicable).

Community Groups and Fundraisers

If you are a Community Group doing fundraising by selling food to the public you still have certain obligations are under the Food Act. 

Depending on what you are selling and whether you are operating from a fixed premises or from a temporary or mobile location you need to either register or notify with your local Council directly or via FoodTrader. 

Please click on the link below to view a short video developed by the Victoria Department of Health to help community groups understand and meet their food safety obligations.

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/videos/community-groups-fundraising-events-food-safety-obligations 

 

 Registration Fees

 Food Premises Classification
  Initial Registration Fee  Annual Renewal Fee

 Community Groups - Fixed Premises 
 Class 2 or Class 3

  $217.50  $145.00
 Community Groups - Mobile Class 2 or Class 3  $217.50  $145.00
 Community Groups - Temporary Class 2 or Class 3  $111.00  $74.00
 Extra Registration for a Community Group with an existing  food registration  $84.00  $56.00
 Community Groups - Class 4  $0.00  $0.00

Fees updated 01/07/2025

 

Do Food Safely

Do Food Safely is a free online learning resource for people working with food. This online learning resource provides information about safe food handling. Participants can test their knowledge by completing the assessment at the end of the online course.

Community groups should encourage all their volunteers who participate in food handling at events to visit the Do Food Safely website to better understand the requirements and need for safe food handling. 

 

Community Group Food Safety Programs

Food Safety

All Victoria Food Businesses have an obligation to follow the food safety regulations for their class of business as set in the Food Act 1984.   The Food Act 1984 is the key legislation that controls the sale of food in Victoria.

Complaints or concerns about food contamination should be directed to Council's Environmental Health Officer.

 

The Food Act 1984

The Food Act 1984 provides the regulatory framework for the food industry to ensure that food sold in Victoria is safe, suitable and correctly labelled.  Local councils and the Department of Health & Human Services administer the Act under which food business owners are legally responsible for ensuring that food sold to customers is safe and suitable to eat.

      The Food Act 1984(PDF, 1MB)

 

Food Safety Supervisors

Food business owners must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to handle food safely in their roles.  To help ensure this all Class 1 and most Class 2 premises must have a qualified Food Safety Supervisor.

Food businesses that operate from more than one site can have one person as the food safety supervisor across a number of premises. The local council must be satisfied with the arrangement you propose. If the premises are in different municipalities, each local council must be satisfied with the arrangements.

Further information about Food Safety Supervisor requirements and exemptions please visit the Department of Health website - here.

 

Food sectors and minimum competency standards

Food safety supervisor must have completed the relevant training for their food sector.

Food Sector  Minimum Competency Standards

Food processing

Businesses such as food product manufacturers, including flour mills, canneries, packers, bakers, breweries and wineries

 FDFFS2001A ‘Implement the food safety program and procedures’

Retail

Businesses such as supermarkets,
convenience stores, grocers and delicatessens

Take away and chain food businesses can be considered either retail or hospitality food businesses

  

SIRRFSA001 ‘Handle food safety in a retail environment’

OR

Use both units from the ‘Hospitality’ section below

Hospitality

Businesses such as restaurants, cafes and hotels

Take away and chain food businesses can be considered either retail or hospitality food businesses

SITXFSA001 ‘Use hygienic practices for food safety’ (Release 1) 2016

SITXFSA002 ‘Participate in safe food handling practices’ (Release 1) 2016

OR

Use unit from the ‘Retail’ section above

Health

Businesses such as hospitals 

 HLTFSE001 ‘Follow basic food safety practices’ (Release 1)

HLTFSE005 ‘Apply and monitor food safety requirements’ (Release 1)

HLTFSE007 ‘Oversee the day-to-day implementation of food safety in the workplace’ (Release 1)
Community Services

Businesses such as childcare centres, nursing homes, hostels, and Meals-on-Wheels services

 Use all three units from the ‘Health’ section above.

Transport and distribution

Businesses such as warehouses 

Use the training from a food sector that best describes the warehouse’s purpose.

For example, choose ‘Hospitality’ if your warehouse supplies businesses such as restaurants, cafes and hotels.

 
Download the Food Safety Supervisor Fact Sheet for Business(PDF, 428KB)

 

 

Food Safety Program Templates

In Victoria, all Class 1 and 2 food premises need a food safety program. 

The department has developed an easy-to-use, simplified food safety program template for Class 2 premises – the Food safety program template for class 2 retail and food service businesses no. 1 version 3. This template features:

  • shorter, simpler records
  • improved instructions about how to handle food safely
  • updated information on allergies and labelling
  • instructions about handling raw eggs and raw egg products
  • up-to-date information for food vans and stalls.

 

Class 2 businesses can utilise this latest Food Safety Program Template developed and made available free for download by the Department of Health here.

Minimum records
The minimum records you need to keep when using the latest Food Safety Program Template include your food supplier lists, temperature checks of high risk food in cold and hot storage, cooking temperature checks, thermometer accuracy checks and records of your system for using the 2 hour/4 hour rule for high-risk food that is not kept below 5° or above 60°. 

For those businesses using the department's Food Safety Program Template no. 1 version 2, you are still able to continue using it until notified but it is recommended that you consider upgrading to the new template.

You can develop your own Food Safety Program on the Department of Health's Food Smart site. 

Do Food Safely

Do Food Safely is a free online learning resource for people working with food. This online learning resource provides information about safe food handling. Participants can test their knowledge by completing the assessment at the end of the online course.

All Food businesses should encourage all staff to visit the Do Food Safely website to better understand the requirements and need for safe food handling. 

 

Other Useful Food Safety Links

Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code (FSANZ)

FoodSmart website

Food Recalls

Nutritional Panel Calculator & Nutrition Label Creator (for Food Manufacturers)

Food Labelling Requirements (for Food Manufacturers)

Do not supply prohibited food waste to pigs factsheet(PDF, 61KB)

 

Transfer a Food Business

As of 1st July 2021, prospective proprietors who wish to transfer a Food Act registration will no longer be able to do so - instead, they will be required to apply for a new registration.

Request an Inspection and Consent to Release Information

If you are buying or selling a food, health or accommodation premises you can request for our EHO to conduct an inspection and provide a report.

Food-or-Health-Request-inspection-form-2025.pdf(PDF, 174KB)

Form-Food-or-Health-Consent-to-release-info_2021.pdf(PDF, 146KB)


Business where the primary activity is the manufacture, handling and sale of meat and meat products should speak with Primesafe. 

Business where the primary activity is the manufacture, handling or sale of dairy and dairy products should speak with Dairy Food Safety Victoria.

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