Department of Health

New food premises requirements from 2 August 2022

Every food premises in Victoria is now assessed and placed into one of five classes, based on the level of food safety risk and the type of food handling activities occurring at the premises. The classification of a premises determines the regulatory requirements that apply to the premises – such as the requirement to be registered, to have a ‘food safety program’ and/or a ‘food safety supervisor’. 

The department’s objective is to ensure that the regulation of a food premises is proportionate to the food safety risks undertaken at that food premises.

A number of changes to the regulatory requirements of food premises have been enacted on 2August 2022. These changes have resulted t in a reduction in legislative requirements for most food services and retail food businesses. 

These changes do not impact class 1 food premises. 

The amendments align Victoria’s regulatory requirements for food service and food retail businesses to proposed national requirements. 

In summary, the proposed changes:

  • remove the requirement for a food safety program from most (but not all) class 2 food services and retail food premises – such as restaurants and cafes – depending on the food handling activities occurring at the premises
  • remove the minimum records requirement for all class 3A and almost all class 3 food premises.  

The new declaration of classes of food premises and requirements

The new August 2 2022 declaration incorporates most of the 1 July 2022 regulatory requirements into the declaration with four amendments.

The four amendments

  1. exempt the proprietors of most class 2 food premises from the need to have a food safety program (clause 10 of the new declaration)
  2. exempt the proprietors of class 3 and class 3A food premises from the need to keep minimum records
  3. include family day care as a class 4 premises
  4. include three further definitions in Schedule 7-Definitions.

The gazette notice of the 2 August 2022 gazette notice is available here.

For more information on the what the changes mean for food businesses, go to Changes to food business classifications and requirements from 1 July 2022.

Reviewed 05 August 2022

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Food Safety Unit

1300 364 352
foodsafety@health.vic.gov.au
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