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Under the Food Act, all food premises (new and existing) belong to one of four classes.

Food Business Classifications

Under the Food Act, all food premises (new and existing) belong to one of four classes.

Class 1 Premises Description
Hospitals, child care centres and aged care services that serve high-risk food.

Requirement

 

Class 2 Premises Description
All other sites that handle high-risk unpackaged food.

Requirement

Class 3 Premises Description
These sites handle:

  • unpackaged low-risk food
  • high-risk pre-packaged food
  • warehouses and distributors

Requirement

  • Council Registration
  • Annual Council Inspection
Class 4 Premises Description
This includes sites that only do the following:

  • sale of shelf stable pre-packaged low risk (confectionery, frozen ice cream, milk)
  • sale of packaged alcohol
  • sale of uncut fruit and vegetables
  • wine tasting
  • sale of packaged cakes (excluding cream)
  • supply of low risk food at a kindergarten session
  • a sausage sizzle where sausages are cooked and served immediately (sausages, onion, bread and sauce)

Requirement

  • Notify Council

 

Guidelines for food premises

Summary of the responsibilities for new and current food premises under the Victorian Food Act 1984.

Food Safety Programs

All registered Class 1 and 2 food businesses must follow a Food Safety Program.

A food safety program is a written plan that shows what a business does to ensure that the food it sells is safe for human consumption. It is an important tool for helping businesses that handle, process or sell potentially hazardous foods to maintain safe food handling practices and protect public health.

Food Safety Program Templates are available from
Department of Health – Food Safety Program

Food Safety Supervisor Requirements and Training

All registered Class 1 and 2 food businesses must have a qualified Food Safety Supervisor. The training requirements for the Supervisor have been developed by the Department of Human Services.

For Information on Food Safety Supervisor requirements and training visit
Department of Health – Food Safety Supervisor

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