Food standards and requirements

NSW has around 50,000 food businesses which have notified their activities in the food industry into the Notification and Food Safety Information System, including bakeries, B&Bs, beekeepers, butchers, canteens, charity groups, delicatessens, health food shops, home delivery services, hotel/motel operations, kiosks, licensed clubs, food manufacturers and packers, pharmacies, pubs, restaurants, service stations, street vendors, takeaways, food transporters and wineries (source: Notification and Food Safety Information System, NSW Health)

The NSW food service and retail food industries are regulated by the Food Standards Code which sets out the standards for food and food businesses. Helpful user guides and industry assistance tools have been published at the link above, as well as:

• skills and knowledge for food businesses (FSANZ, pdf )
• temperature control of potentially hazardous foods (FSANZ, pdf)
• news publications and help from the Authority, and
• food business issues.

There are also some extra requirements for specific industries.

The Food Standards Code also requires businesses which sell any sort of food to be either licensed or to notify the Authority of its details (there are significant fines for failing to be notified).

• More information on notification

Since establishment in April 2004, the NSW Food Authority’s work in these industries comprises inspections of notified businesses to verify compliance with the Food Standards Code.

Certain parts of the NSW food industry are regulated under the Food Regulation 2004, including:

• businesses that handle or process meat;
• dairy producers, factories and vendors;
• businesses that handle seafood and shellfish;
• high-priority plant product businesses; and
• in the future, the eggs industry, catering, food service to vulnerable populations in hospitals and aged care facilities and child care centres.

These businesses are required to hold a NSW Food Authority licence to operate as these types of food businesses. The Authority is responsible for ensuring the regulations are being implemented in businesses that are required to be licensed. To check that this is occurring, the Authority undertakes regular audits and inspections of licensed businesses.

All other NSW businesses which handle food for sale are required by the Food Act 2003 only to "notify" the Authority of their food handling activities.

The Authority undertakes these activities in order to ensure that the NSW public is consuming safe and correctly labelled food. Both licensed and notifiable food businesses must comply with the relevant parts of the Food Standards Code (see NSW food business regulation and standards for more information).