Approval as a Food Safety Auditor
You will require this approval if you intend to operate as a food safety auditor in Victoria.
Food safety auditors must audit a food business to check that the business:
- has an adequate food safety program
- is complying with its food safety program, the Act and applicable standards.
Following the audit, providing the business is fully complying, the auditor must provide an audit certificate to the council within 14 days of giving the certificate to the business. That certificate must be one of:
- a certificate of compliance
- a certificate detailing that corrective actions have been taken to address deficiencies or any outstanding matters, if an audit has revealed non-compliances at the premises.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Department of Health
Food Safety Management Tools (Standard 3.2.2A)
You will be required to comply with this Standard if you provide food service, catering and retail and handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous food that is ready to eat. The Standard aims to improve food safety and support consumer confidence.
Generally, this includes caterers, restaurants, cafés, takeaway shops, pubs, supermarkets and delis, food vans and other facilities serving food.
There are three food safety management tools in the Standard:
- tool 1: food handler training
- tool 2: food safety supervisor (FSS)
- tool 3: substantiation of critical food safety controls.
The Standard classifies businesses as category one or category two businesses.
- category one must implement all three management tools
- category two must have a food safety supervisor and have staff trained in safe food handling.
Please note, Victorian food businesses are not classified into categories but classes (classes 1, 2, 3A, 3, and 4). Please refer to the attached ‘Introducing Standard 3.2.2A: Food Safety Management Tools’ for guidance regarding your business classification and requirements.
Legal obligation
Administered by: VIC - Department of Health
Registration / Notification of a Fixed Food Premises
You will need this registration or notification if you intend to operate a food business from a fixed food premises, such as a café, shop, or factory.
Local councils classify all food businesses in their municipality according to the highest risk food activity undertaken at the food premises. The class of your food premises determines what requirements you will need to meet before registration.
There are five classes of food premises:
- class 1: premises are where the food being handled or served is to vulnerable people within a hospital, aged care, childcare setting, or by home delivery services
- class 2: premises that handle potentially hazardous foods
- class 3A: premises that are home-based businesses and accommodation getaway premises that undertake specific food handling activities.
- class 3: premises are predominately those that handle low-risk foods or pre-packaged potentially hazardous foods.
- class 4: premises are predominately handling pre-packaged, low-risk foods.
Please note, you may be required to obtain registration with other specialist regulators. If your business primarily:
- sells, transports or prepares meat or seafood (such as a butcher or fishmonger), you must register with PrimeSafe
- wholesales, makes, transports or prepares dairy products (such as milk or cheese products), you must register with Dairy Food Safety Victoria.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Department of Health
Food Business Compliance in Victoria
All food business owners (and community groups who sell food) are responsible to ensure that food sold or prepared for sale is safe, suitable and correctly labelled.
All staff in the food industry who handle and prepare food for sale to consumers are responsible for food safety. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the relevant information and free guidance materials on the agency website.
Legal obligation
Administered by: VIC - Department of Health
Registration / Notification of a Fixed Food Premises - City of Melbourne
You will need this registration or notification if you intend to operate a food business from a fixed food premises, such as a café, shop, or factory.
Local councils classify all food businesses in their municipality according to the highest risk food activity undertaken at the food premises. The class of your food premises determines what requirements you will need to meet before registration.
There are five classes of food premises:
- class 1: premises are where the food being handled or served is to vulnerable people within a hospital, aged care, childcare setting, or by home delivery services
- class 2: premises that handle potentially hazardous foods
- class 3A: premises that are home-based businesses and accommodation getaway premises that undertake specific food handling activities.
- class 3: premises are predominately those that handle low-risk foods or pre-packaged potentially hazardous foods.
- class 4: premises are predominately handling pre-packaged, low-risk foods.
Please note, you may be required to obtain registration with other specialist regulators. If your business primarily:
- sells, transports or prepares meat or seafood (such as a butcher or fishmonger), you must register with PrimeSafe
- wholesales, makes, transports or prepares dairy products (such as milk or cheese products), you must register with Dairy Food Safety Victoria.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - City of Melbourne
Registration / Notification of a Fixed Food Premises - City of Port Phillip
You will need this registration or notification if you intend to operate a food business from a fixed food premises, such as a café, shop, or factory.
Local councils classify all food businesses in their municipality according to the highest risk food activity undertaken at the food premises. The class of your food premises determines what requirements you will need to meet before registration.
There are five classes of food premises:
- class 1: premises are where the food being handled or served is to vulnerable people within a hospital, aged care, childcare setting, or by home delivery services
- class 2: premises that handle potentially hazardous foods
- class 3A: premises that are home-based businesses and accommodation getaway premises that undertake specific food handling activities.
- class 3: premises are predominately those that handle low-risk foods or pre-packaged potentially hazardous foods.
- class 4: premises are predominately handling pre-packaged, low-risk foods.
Please note, you may be required to obtain registration with other specialist regulators. If your business primarily:
- sells, transports or prepares meat or seafood (such as a butcher or fishmonger), you must register with PrimeSafe
- wholesales, makes, transports or prepares dairy products (such as milk or cheese products), you must register with Dairy Food Safety Victoria.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - City of Port Phillip
Dairy Carrier Licence
You will need this licence to operate a business that transports dairy food in bulk containers, typically from dairy farms to dairy manufacturers or processors.
To safeguard public health standards, registration of dairy food carriers is required to maintain industry standards for the production, manufacture, storage and transport of milk and dairy foods.
Dairy foods are food products made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep or buffalo and includes:
- milk and liquid milk products
- dried milk and dried milk products
- condensed milks
- cream and cream products
- butter, butter products, dairy blend and dairy spreads
- cheese and cheese products
- yoghurt and yoghurt products
- ice cream, reduced fat ice cream and low fat ice cream
- any other products or classes of products that are deemed to be dairy food.
Separate licensing requirements apply for dairy farming and the manufacture and distribution and sale of dairy products.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Dairy Food Safety Victoria
Dairy Standards Code
You will need to comply with the Dairy Standards Code if you are involved in the production, supply or sale of dairy or dairy products.
The Dairy Standards Code is a collection of individual food standards. Standards on related matters are grouped together into Parts, which in turn are collected together into three chapters:
- standards that apply to the primary production of dairy
- requirements affecting the collection and transporting of dairy
- the processing of dairy and dairy products.
Food standards have the force of law. It is a criminal offence in Australia to supply food that does not comply with relevant food standards. Notwithstanding food standards, it is also an offence to sell food which is damaged, deteriorated or perished, which is adulterated, or which is unfit for human consumption.
Code or standard
Administered by: VIC - Dairy Food Safety Victoria
Dairy Manufacturer Licence
You will need this licence if you are the owner of any dairy manufacturing premises where milk is received from a dairy farm, or dairy food is manufactured or packed.
This licence does not authorise you to operate a dairy farm or sell dairy products by retail directly to the public.
Dairy foods cover food products made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep or buffalo. It includes:
- milk and liquid milk products
- dried milk and dried milk products
- condensed milks
- cream and cream products
- butter, butter products, dairy blend and dairy spreads
- cheese and cheese products
- yoghurt and yoghurt products
- ice cream, reduced fat ice cream and low fat ice cream
- any other products or classes of products that are deemed to be dairy food.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Dairy Food Safety Victoria
Dairy Distributor Licence
You will need this licence to purchase dairy food for the purpose of distribution and sale or to own a business that operates a dairy distribution premises.
A dairy distribution premises is any premises where packaged dairy food is sold or distributed.
Dairy foods covers food products made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep or buffalo. It includes:
- milk and liquid milk products
- dried milk and dried milk products
- condensed milks
- cream and cream products
- butter, butter products, dairy blend and dairy spreads
- cheese and cheese products
- yoghurt and yoghurt products
- ice cream, reduced fat ice cream and low fat ice cream
- any other products or classes of products that are deemed to be dairy food.
This licence does not authorise you to farm, process or manufacture dairy products or sell by retail directly to the general public.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Dairy Food Safety Victoria
Dairy Farmer Licence
You will need this licence to run a commercial dairy farm. A dairy farm is any premises where cows, goats, sheep or buffalo are kept or milked for the purpose of producing milk for sale (regardless of whether it is for human consumption).
This licence does not permit you to process milk beyond the normal requirements for shipment to a dairy manufacturer. Separate licensing requirements apply for the transport, manufacture and distribution for sale of dairy products.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Dairy Food Safety Victoria
Approval of a Proposed Arrangement
You will need this approval to become an export registered establishment. An approved arrangement is a documented food safety management system, which describes how an establishment manages food safety and traceability.
Licence or registration
Administered by: AG - Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality
You must comply with these guidelines if you are the owner of a vessel that has a galley for the preparation of food for seafarers.
These guidelines set out the minimum standard for hot and cold potable running water systems.
Code or standard
Administered by: AG - Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Temporary Limited Liquor Licence
You will need this licence if you intend to hold a one-off event, or a series of one-off events, where alcohol will be supplied.
One-off events can include:
- weddings
- birthday parties
- school or sports fundraising nights
- live music events
- food and liquor events
- a farmers' or craft market.
Licence or registration
Administered by: VIC - Department of Justice and Community Safety
National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS)
You will be required to comply with the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) if you are a producer, saleyard, processor or have livestock under your control. You will require registration for all livestock under your control and you must record their movements.
The NLIS is Australia's system for the identification and tracing of cattle, goats, lambs and sheep. It is a permanent whole-of-life identification system that tracks individual animals from property of birth to slaughter for food safety, product integrity and market access purposes.
Licence or registration
Administered by: AG - Meat and Livestock Australia
Fire Danger Period Permit
You will be required to comply with the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) if you are a producer, saleyard, processor or have livestock under your control. You will require registration for all livestock under your control and you must record their movements.
The NLIS is Australia's system for the identification and tracing of cattle, goats, lambs and sheep. It is a permanent whole-of-life identification system that tracks individual animals from property of birth to slaughter for food safety, product integrity and market access purposes.
Licence or registration
Administered by: AG - Meat and Livestock Australia
Food Standards Code
You may be required to comply with this code if you intend to deal with food or beverage products. This code applies if you intend to:
- import food or beverage products into Australia
- export food or beverage products out of Australia
- manufacture food or beverage products in Australia.
All food and beverage products imported into Australia must comply with this code and are liable for inspection. You may also require an import permit for high risk food or beverage products.
All food and beverage products exported out of Australia must comply with this code. You may also require an export permit for specific products such as wine products.
This code regulates the labelling requirements for packaged and unpackaged goods. For example, country of origin labelling, specific mandatory warnings or advisory labels. This code also covers the composition of some foods such as dairy or meat and standards developed by new technologies such as genetically modified foods.
Code or standard
Administered by: Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Food Control Certificate
You will require this certificate if you intend to import food into Australia, including food for your own consumption.
Your certificate will specify whether the food to which the certificate relates is required to be inspected and / or analysed by an authorised officer. This is to ensure that food imported into Australia meets the applicable standards outlined in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Importers will also need to provide documentation that provides evidence of clear traceability along the food supply chain.
Licence or registration
Administered by: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
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