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Food premises classification and registration
Page content: What class is my food premises? | About class 1 food premises | About class 2 food premises | About class 3 food premises | About class 4 food premises | Community groups | Summary of food safety regulatory system
The Food Act 1984 controls the sale of food in Victoria. Its main purpose is to protect people from food borne illness. All food premises must ensure that food sold, or prepared for sale, is safe for human consumption.
The Act adopts a preventative approach to food safety. It groups food premises into separate ‘classes’, and sets out different food safety requirements for each class based on the food safety risks of its highest risk food handling activity. There are four classes – from highest risk (class 1), such as a nursing home, to lowest risk (class 4), such as a newsagent selling only pre-packaged confectionery.
The level of regulation is largely determined by the microbial hazards posed by food handling onsite. The greater the chance of something going wrong during the food handling process, and the greater the potential impact on people’s health, the higher the level of regulation.
Councils are responsible for classifying every food premises within their municipal districts under the Act. The Department of Health has developed a Food business classification tool which outlines a wide range of food business activities and applies a classification of 1 to 4 according to the food safety risk of each activity.
Your council will consider the following questions when classifying your food premises:
- Who is the food being served to?
- Is the food packaged or unpackaged?
- Is the food potentially hazardous?
- Is this a community run event?
The classification system is risk-based, that is it seeks to better match regulation with the food safety risk that different food business activities pose to public health. The declaration which sets out these classes can be found at:
Gazette No. S232 22 June 2010 (Food premises classes) (452kb, pdf)
Forms for registering (classes 1, 2 and 3) or notifying (class 4) your council about a new food business are available at the Business Victoria website or contact your council. To find your local council see the Local Government Victoria website.
This section will help you understand your responsibilities under the Food Act, and your role in keeping food at your premises safe.
What class is my food premises?
Local councils are responsible for classifying all food premises.
To determine classifications, all councils apply the Act by using the Department of Health Food business classification tool. The aim is to promote a consistent approach to the classification of food premises across the state.Note: Because food premises are classified according to their highest risk activity, two or more premises owned/operated by the same business/franchise may be classified differently despite having similar, although not identical, food activities. Likewise, similar business types (two convenience stores) may be classified differently depending upon their highest-risk food activity.
About class 1 food premises
Class 1 food premises are those that predominantly handle potentially hazardous food that is served to vulnerable people in:
- hospitals
- child care centres providing long day care, and
- aged care facilities such as nursing homes.
This flyer provides more information on class 1 premises’ including what they must do under the Food Act:
Making food safety your business. Information for Class 1 food premises - July 2010 (324kb, pdf)
About class 2 food premises
Class 2 food premises are those that handle unpackaged potentially hazardous foods which need correct temperature control during the food handling process - including cooking and storage - to keep them safe. This includes:
- restaurants
- fast food outlets
- pubs
- caterers
- delicatessens
- supermarkets with delicatessens
- cafes
- food vending machines handling high risk foods
- most manufacturers.
An easy-to-use Department of Health food safety program template for class 2 retail and food service businesses no.1, version 2 is available for class 2 premises that choose to use the Department of Health's food safety program template.
This template is only registered under the Act as suitable for creating a standard food safety program for a class 2 food premises that is operated by a food business which:
- retails food to the public or
- is a "food service business".
A "food service business" is one at which the food handling activities include the serving of food that is ready for immediate consumption. This includes hotels, cafes and restaurants.
The version 2 template and record sheets are available for download.
- Existing class 2 premises using the old Department of Health Food Safety Program template (No. 1 Version 1) or the City of Melbourne template will need to change to the new template on renewal of their food business registration during 2010/2011. The new template will be relevant to all newly registered class 2 food premises.
- The record sheets for No. 1 Version 1 remain accessible on this site. This is because existing businesses using the old template until they renew their registration may need to print more records.
Note: The No. 1 Version 1 records are only suitable for food businesses currently using the old Department of Health Food Safety Program template, No. 1 Version 1 (also known as Edition 1.1).
- This flyer provides more information on class 2 premises’ including what they must do under the Food Act:
Making food safety your business. Information for class 2 food premises - July 2010 (325kb, pdf)
This leaflet is also available in Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese.
About class 3 food premises
Class 3 food premises are those whose main activities involve the sale of foods not commonly associated with food poisoning. This includes the supply or handling of unpackaged low risk foods, or sale of pre-packaged potentially hazardous foods which simply need refrigeration to keep them safe.
Premises expected to fall into class 3 include
- fruit stalls selling cut fruit
- wholesalers distributing pre-packaged foods
- most milk bars, convenience stores and coffee bars
- food vending machines handling lower risk foods.
Class 3 food premises need to keep completed basic records about certain food safety practices onsite. This includes details about suppliers, and about potentially hazardous food.
Newly registered class 3 food premises must keep the applicable declared minimum records.
The declared minimum records can be found at:
Gazette No. S241 25 June 2010 (Minimum records for class 3 premises) (444kb, pdf)
To work out which minimum records to keep, complete the checklist:
Class 3 food premises Minimum records checklist - July 2010 (56kb, MS Word)
Class 3 food premises Minimum records checklist - July 2010 (54kb, pdf)
This checklist will help you identify which of the following record sheets are relevant to your class 3 food premises.
Class 3 minimum records - Sheet A - July 2010 (274kb, MS Word)
Class 3 minimum records - Sheet A - July 2010 (66kb, pdf)
Class 3 minimum records - Sheet B Temporary food premises - July 2010 (260kb, MS Word)
Class 3 minimum records - Sheet B Temporary food premises - July 2010 (51kb, pdf)
Class 3 minimum records – Sheet C Community group one or two day events - July 2010 (103kb, MS Word)
Class 3 minimum records – Sheet C Community group one or two day events - July 2010 (29kb, pdf)
Class 3 minimum records – Sheet D Community group events for more than 2 days - July 2010 (262kb, MS Word)
Class 3 minimum records – Sheet D Community group events for more than 2 days - July 2010 (80kb, pdf)
Class 3 food vending machines – Sheet E Minimum record, December 2011
Contact your council if you have any queries.
This flyer provides more information on class 3 premises including what they must do under the Food Act:
Making food safety your business. Information for class 3 food premises - July 2010 (321kb, pdf)
This leaflet is also available in Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese.
If you operate a class 3 food vending machine, a flyer about obtaining single approval to operate anywhere in Victoria can be accessed below:
Food vending machines - State-wide registration or notification, July 2011.
About class 4 food premises
Class 4 food premises are those whose food handling activities pose low risk to public health. They include the following:
- premises which sell shelf stable pre-packaged confectionery such as newsagents, pharmacies and video stores
- bottle shops
- premises which sell uncut fruit and vegetables such as farmers markets and greengrocers
- premises offering wine tastings
- shops and stalls selling packaged cakes (excluding cream cakes), bottled jams or honey
- sessional kindergartens serving low risk food and cut fruit, and
- stalls running simple sausage sizzles, where the sausages are cooked and served immediately. This means sausages, sauce, onions and bread. (This does not include hamburgers or other high risk foods).
For a full list of class 4 activities, see the Food premises classification tool.
If your activities are not listed, contact your council.
This flyer provides more information on class 4 premises’ including what they must do under the Food Act:
Making food safety your business. Information for class 4 food premises - July 2010 (320kb, pdf)
This leaflet is also available in Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese.
If you operate a class 4 food vending machine, a flyer about obtaining single approval to operate anywhere in Victoria can be accessed below:
Food vending machines - State-wide registration or notification, July 2011
Community groups
Community groups involved in the sale of food for charitable purposes or to provide a service to the community can be either class 2, 3 or 4, depending on their food activities and the associated food safety risk. For more information see Food safety at home & in the community.
Summary of food safety regulatory system
For readers who would like a brief summary of Victoria’s food safety regulatory system:
Summary: Guide to the Food Act changes