Starting a Food Business in Australia: a Checklist

Before you sell a single meal in Australia, you generally must notify or register your food business with your local council (or state food agency), fit out the premises to Standard 3.2.3, and set up food safety systems under Standards 3.2.2 and 3.2.2A - including a Food Safety Supervisor, trained handlers and records. Doing these in the right order avoids costly rework. Requirements vary by state and territory, so confirm the detail with your council and regulator. Key takeaways: Almost every Australian food business must notify or register its details with the relevant enforcement agency (usually the local council) before it starts handling food - Standard 3.2.2 sets this baseline, and trading without it is a common, avoidable breach.. Get the sequence right: check your business structure and ABN, use ABLIS to find every licence and approval, confirm your fit-out against Standard 3.2.3 before you build, then notify/register and open. Fit-out mistakes are expensive to fix after construction.. Standard 3.2.2A generally requires higher-risk food service, catering and retail businesses that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food to appoint a certified Food Safety Supervisor and ensure food handlers have the right skills and knowledge - and, for some, to substantiate key controls with records.. The Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) at ablis.business.gov.au is the free tool that lists the specific licences, registrations and permits your business needs based on your location and activity.. Rules, fees and approval steps differ by state, territory and council. Always confirm the specifics - including planning and health approvals - with your local council and state or territory food regulator before committing.. Key Food Standards Code standards for a new business: Standard, What it covers. Standard 3.2.2 — Notify or register with the enforcement agency before handling food; food handling practices. Standard 3.2.2A — Food Safety Supervisor, food handler skills and knowledge, and substantiation of controls for higher-risk businesses. Standard 3.2.3 — Premises and equipment: cleanable surfaces, dedicated hand washing facilities, refrigeration and hot holding. First decisions: structure, ABN and what you are selling Before any food-specific approval, sort out the business basics, because they shape everything downstream. Decide your business structure (sole trader, partnership, company or trust), register for an Australian Business Number (ABN) and, if you expect turnover at or above the GST registration threshold, register for GST. Register your business name if you are not trading under your own name. Be precise about what you will actually do - a packaged-drinks kiosk, a full commercial kitchen, a home-based cake business, a mobile van or a food stall at markets each trigger different rules. This 'scope' determines your food safety classification, whether Standard 3.2.2A applies, and which council approvals you need. Getting the description right early means the licences and fit-out you plan for are the ones you actually need. Choose a business structure and register an ABN via the Australian Government's business registration service. Register for GST if your projected turnover meets the registration threshold, and register a business name if required. Write a clear, honest description of your food activities - it drives your food safety classification. Note whether you are fixed premises, mobile, temporary/market, or home-based, as rules differ for each. Use ABLIS to find every licence and approval you need Australia has no single 'food business licence' that covers everything; requirements are layered across federal, state/territory and local government. The free Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) at ablis.business.gov.au is a good starting point: enter your location and business type and it returns a tailored list of the registrations, licences and permits that generally apply, with links to each agency. Typical results for a food business include local council food business registration or notification, planning/development approvals, and depending on activity a footpath dining permit, liquor licence, signage approval, or a mobile/temporary food permit. Treat the ABLIS list as your master to-do list, then confirm each item directly with the issuing agency, because ABLIS points you to requirements but the council or regulator administers them. Run your business details through ABLIS (ablis.business.gov.au) to generate a tailored licence list. Expect a mix of council, state and (occasionally) federal requirements - not one single permit. Watch for planning/development consent, which is separate from food safety approval and often takes longest. Confirm each listed item with the issuing agency, as ABLIS signposts but does not itself approve. Plan the fit-out to Standard 3.2.3 before you build Standard 3.2.3 (Food Premises and Equipment) sets the construction and design baseline, and it is far cheaper to design in than to retrofit. The overarching principle is that premises, fixtures, fittings and equipment must be designed and constructed so they can be effectively cleaned and, where needed, sanitised, and so they help keep food safe and suitable. In practice councils commonly look for smooth, impervious, cleanable floors, walls and ceilings; adequate hand washing facilities provided specifically for washing hands, with warm running water, soap and a hygienic means of drying hands; separate sinks for equipment and food washing; suitable temperature control (refrigeration and, where relevant, hot holding); good lighting and ventilation; and construction that excludes pests. Many councils offer a plan-assessment or pre-approval service - submit your fit-out plans for review before construction so you do not build something that fails inspection. Do this before signing a long lease, too, because an unsuitable building can be a deal-breaker. Design surfaces to be smooth, impervious and easy to clean; seal junctions and avoid unsealed timber. Provide dedicated hand washing facilities with warm running water, soap and a hygienic means of drying hands - not shared with food or equipment washing. Include enough refrigeration, and hot-holding where needed, to keep potentially hazardous food out of the 5 C to 60 C danger zone. Submit fit-out plans to your council for assessment before you build, and check the building before signing the lease. Confirm water supply, waste water and grease-trap requirements with the council and water authority. Notify or register your business with the enforcement agency Standard 3.2.2 generally requires a food business to give its details to the appropriate enforcement agency - usually your local council - before it starts handling food. Depending on the jurisdiction this is called notification or registration, and in some states higher-risk businesses need a licence rather than a simple notification. The details captured typically include your contact and business name, the premises address, and the nature of the food handling. This step is what puts you on the regulator's radar for inspection, and trading before you have done it is one of the most common start-up breaches. The process, forms and any fees vary widely between councils and states, and some also require a separate health or food premises approval that follows a satisfactory inspection. Allow time: an initial inspection may be needed before you can open, so book it early rather than assuming you can trade the day you notify. Notify or register with your local council (or state food agency) before you begin handling food. Higher-risk businesses in some states need a licence, not just notification - check which applies to you. A pre-opening inspection is often required, so arrange it well ahead of your planned launch. Update your notification if your details, ownership or activities change, and re-notify when required. Confirm the exact form, fee and timing with your council, as these differ by jurisdiction. Appoint a Food Safety Supervisor and train your handlers Standard 3.2.2A introduced food safety management tools for many food service, catering and retail businesses that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food. For businesses it covers, this generally means appointing a certified Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) and making sure food handlers have the right skills and knowledge. The FSS must hold recognised certification - generally obtained within the previous five years - and be reasonably able to supervise and give direction on safe food handling; they should be able to show evidence of their certification to an authorised officer on request. Food handlers must have skills and knowledge in food safety and food hygiene appropriate to their work, which is often met through a recognised food handler training course or the free national resources such as the FSANZ food handler training tool. Some higher-risk businesses must also substantiate key controls with records. Standard 3.2.2A became enforceable in Australia on 8 December 2023, but how it applies - and pre-existing state FSS schemes - vary by state and territory (for example NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT had long-standing arrangements before it), so confirm exactly what your business must do with your state or territory regulator. Determine whether Standard 3.2.2A applies to your business, and whether you fall in the higher-risk category. Appoint a Food Safety Supervisor with current recognised certification and keep evidence of it accessible. Ensure every food handler has food safety skills and knowledge suited to their tasks, via recognised training or free national resources. Check your state's specific FSS rules - several states ran their own schemes before 3.2.2A. Keep records of who your FSS is and what training staff have completed to show authorised officers. Set up records, systems and day-one operations Passing inspection is the start, not the finish - you need working systems that keep you compliant every day. Build simple, usable records: temperature logs for fridges, freezers, cooking, cooling and hot holding; a cleaning and sanitising schedule; supplier and delivery details for traceability; and, where Standard 3.2.2A requires it, substantiation records showing your critical controls are working. Establish supplier relationships with reputable, safe sources and check deliveries on arrival. Put a pest management program in place, confirm your waste and grease-trap arrangements, and make sure staff know reporting lines for illness and incidents. Also line up the non-food essentials before opening: public liability and other business insurance, workers' compensation if you have employees, and any signage, footpath or liquor approvals identified in your ABLIS search. A short pre-opening dry run - checking every fridge holds temperature, hand washing facilities are stocked and logs are ready - catches problems before your first customer does. Create temperature, cleaning and traceability records staff will actually complete each shift. Keep 3.2.2A substantiation records if your business is required to demonstrate its controls. Arrange insurance (public liability, and workers' compensation if you employ staff) before opening. Set up pest management, waste and grease-trap arrangements and confirm they meet council requirements. Run a pre-opening check of temperatures, hand washing facilities, chemicals and records before your first trading day. Worked examples: A lease signed before checking the fit-out: An operator signs a long lease, then discovers the premises cannot easily be fitted with dedicated hand washing facilities or enough refrigeration to meet Standard 3.2.3. Retrofitting after construction is slow and expensive. Submitting fit-out plans to the council and checking the building before signing would have avoided the problem. Using ABLIS as a master checklist: Before opening, an operator enters their location and business type into ABLIS and gets a tailored list including council food registration, planning approval and a footpath dining permit. They treat it as their to-do list and confirm each item with the issuing agency rather than assuming one permit covers everything. Checklist: Business structure chosen and ABN registered (plus GST and business name if applicable). Clear, accurate description of food activities and premises type documented. ABLIS search completed and every listed licence, permit and approval confirmed with the issuing agency. Planning/development approval for food use of the premises confirmed. Fit-out plans assessed by the council against Standard 3.2.3 before construction. Cleanable surfaces, dedicated hand washing facilities, adequate refrigeration/hot holding, lighting, ventilation and pest exclusion in place. Business notified or registered with the local council or state food agency before handling food. Pre-opening inspection booked and passed where required. Food Safety Supervisor appointed with current recognised certification (where 3.2.2A applies). Food handlers have appropriate food safety skills and knowledge via recognised training. Temperature, cleaning and traceability records set up, plus 3.2.2A substantiation records if required. Pest management, waste and grease-trap arrangements confirmed. Public liability insurance (and workers' compensation if employing staff) arranged. Pre-opening dry run completed - temperatures, hand washing facilities, chemicals and logs all checked. Common mistakes: Signing a lease or starting the fit-out before confirming the premises can meet Standard 3.2.3 - retrofitting cleanable surfaces, hand washing facilities and refrigeration after construction is expensive and slow.. Trading before notifying or registering with the council, one of the most common start-up breaches under Standard 3.2.2.. Assuming food safety approval covers planning - development/planning consent for using the site as food premises is separate and often takes the longest.. Treating hand washing facilities as optional or shared - councils generally require dedicated hand washing facilities with warm water, soap and a hygienic means of drying, not a sink used for food or equipment.. Not checking whether Standard 3.2.2A applies, then opening without a certified Food Safety Supervisor or with untrained handlers.. Relying on ABLIS output alone without confirming each requirement with the issuing agency, or skipping ABLIS and missing a permit entirely.. Leaving the pre-opening inspection to the last minute, then being unable to open on the planned launch date.. Setting up record templates no one uses - temperature and cleaning logs only help if staff actually complete them each shift.. State and territory notes: NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT: These jurisdictions had long-standing food safety supervisor arrangements before Standard 3.2.2A became enforceable on 8 December 2023. Confirm your specific obligations with the relevant state or territory regulator. All states and territories: Registration or notification processes, forms, fees, planning and health approvals, and whether a documented food safety program is required all vary by council and jurisdiction. Confirm the detail with your local council and state or territory food regulator.