Wodonga Council — New food premises and buying an existing food business

How to become a registered food premises

Note: This information applies to new food premises and those that are purchasing an existing food premises.

The Food Act 1984 requires any business that prepares, handles, packs or sells any food or drink to be registered with their local city council.

If you will be operating a food business (new or taking over an existing premises) within the Wodonga municipality, you must contact our Environmental Health Department to commence the process of registering your premises at least 28 days before opening.

If you operate from more than one premises, you will need to register each of them. Under the Food Act it is an offence to operate a food business without being registered.

Registration applies to most types of food business, including catering businesses run from home and mobile or temporary premises, such as stalls and vans.

This section contains information, guides, tips and regulations for getting your food-based or health-based business off to a good start.

Under the provisions of the Food Act 1984, any business or groups that wishes to sell food and beverages (including alcohol) must register or notify (depending on class/business activities) with council. Any person(s) or group(s) wishing to purchase an existing food premises must take out a new registration.

New food business or business being taken over and making significant changes to the food handling activities must consult with our planning, building and compliance teams and will need to contact and consult with the local water authority North East Water regarding trade waste licensing.

New food business must complete the following steps marked *

Food business being purchased and no changes to the premises or food activity is to be made must complete the following steps marked +

Food business being purchased with significant changes to the premises and or food activity must complete the following steps marked #

1) *# Submit an application form for plans approval. Provide a scaled floor plan of the proposed food premises to our environmental health team for assessment showing:

The layout of all fixtures, fittings and equipment;
A description of materials to be used on surface finishes including walls, floors and bench tops; and
Locations of waste disposal area, storage areas, toilets, etc.

2) *+# Submit an application to register a food business form found in step two tab.

3) *+# An invoice will be generated for the relevant fees to be paid. These must be paid before your application can be processed.

4) *+# An environmental health officer (EHO) will then contact you to arrange an appointment to inspect the proposed premises and assess the submitted plans against the Food Safety Standards.

5) *+# Once the business is compliant and all required documentation is received, Council will issue the registration certificate and trading can commence.

Complete the application to register a food premises form and return to council
Pay the applicable fee.

The types of foods provided will determine the class of food business under the Food Act 1984.

The class will then determine the level of record keeping needed for the business and what the food safety program requirements will be. To determine what class of food premises will apply based on your level of risk, please visit the Business Classification Tool.

As part of the application process Class 1 and 2 businesses need to have a food safety program in place and ensure the person nominated for the role of the food safety supervisor has completed the relevant training. This will need to be supplied to council before registration can be granted.

For further information on these requirements, please phone our environmental health team on (02) 6022 9300 or visit the Department of Health's food safety website.

Our environmental health officer will complete an inspection of the food premises once works are completed to ensure they meet the approved plans.

We will issue a Certificate of Registration. Your premises must not open prior to receiving the Certificate of Registration.

Please note: It is an offence under the Food Act 1984 to operate a food business without being registered.

If you need to know more read the Department of Health's food business guide.

Visit business.vic.gov.au for in-depth information on how to start a new business/obtain correct registrations.

Cost

The council's fees and charges are updated as of July 1. View the current fees and charges here.