Starting a new food business

Stage 1 - Where do I start?

When constructing a new food business, certain approvals are obtained before others. You can reduce the possibility of costly mistakes by obtaining all the required approvals before starting the Suitability of Premises assessment stage.

Food License

Obtaining a food business licence is a two-stage assessment process. Stage one is a paper based food business fit-out assessment and stage two is the physical food business assessment and after this the licence is issued. You should submit your licence application no less than 30 business days before you intend to open for trade. This will ensure that Council has enough time to assess your food business licence application. It is important to note that you cannot open for trade until Council has undertaken a final inspection and issued you with a licence.

Approvals?

Before you lodge your application for a food business licence, check that the following approvals have been obtained:

Development approval – you will need to check that you are able to use the intended premises for the activity you are proposing to conduct on the site. You can contact Council’s Planning Department team for advice on whether a development approval is required on 5540 5111.
Building approval – you may need to obtain building approval to carry out minor or major building works. Works that may require a building approval include partition changes, structural changes, mechanical exhaust ventilation, internal layout changes or alterations to the shop front. You will need to obtain building advice from a private building certifier.
Plumbing approval – before carrying out any plumbing or drainage works, please contact Council’s Plumbing Services on 5540 5111 for more information.
Trade waste approval – if the proposed premises is on the sewer you may require approval for trade waste and grease traps if required for your food business. Please visit Queensland Urban Utilities at Trade waste - Queensland Urban Utilities for more information. If the premises requires onsite waste water treatment then please contact Council’s Plumbing Services on 5540 5111 for more information.
Footpath/alfresco dining - if you wish to have footpath/alfresco dining on Council owned land then please contact Council's Health Services on 5540 5111 to discuss a local law permit.

Home based food business?

If you want to start a home based business using your own domestic kitchen you should check with Councils Planning Department if you need an approval.

Food business that operate from home must comply with the provisions of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Food Standards Code). Council will assess your application on a case by case basis to check if food can be produced safely in your home. Domestic kitchens will only be approved if the business produces non-potentially hazardous foods.

Examples of non-potentially hazardous foods and activities that can be handled in a home domestic kitchen include:

Manufacturing plain biscuits
Manufacturing cakes, cupcakes and cake-pops without cream or ganache
Decorating cakes without cream or ganache
Manufacturing jam or marmalade
Manufacturing chutney
Manufacturing sauce
Decanting honey into containers
Roasting, salting or flavouring nuts
Grinding spices and/or repackaging spices
Roasting and packaging coffee beans
Manufacturing and packaging fairy floss and/or popcorn
Manufacturing fudges, chocolates and other confectionery
Freezing ice into blocks to make snow cones at a stall.

Examples of potentially hazardous foods are foods that require certain time and temperature control to stop bacteria from growing and prevent food poisoning. Potentially hazardous food production and handling is generally not approved in a home domestic kitchen.

Examples of potentially hazardous foods include:

Eggs
Cooked rice and pasta
Raw and cooked meat
Fresh cream products
Cheesecakes, etc.

Other factors unique to a food business from a homebased domestic kitchen you will need to consider:

Food storage – food for your business needs to be separate from household food.
Providing a sink that is only for handwashing.
Sinks or dishwasher for dishwashing that can fit the largest pot/utensils. Dishwasher must have a sanitising cycle.
Exhaust hood design and capacity.
Children and pets – you need to exclude young children, pets and people who are sick from the food preparation area, when you are preparing food for the business.

The process of applying for a home based food business licence application is the same as any other fixed food premises application.

Food safety supervisor

Every Licensable premises requires a food Safety Supervisor. What is a Food Safety Supervisor? A food safety supervisor is a person who has advanced food safety skills and knowledge and the responsibility to oversee food safety operations within a food business on a day-to-day basis. Every licensed food business must have a food safety supervisor to add a level of onsite protection for food safety. A food business licensee must notify the Council that issues their licence of the name and contact details of their food safety supervisor. Anyone can be a food safety supervisor and there may be more than one food safety supervisor for each food business.

It is Council policy that food safety supervisors complete training and obtain a statement of attainment issued. Refer to the Competency codes and titles, these are set by the National Quality Council and may change.

Food safety programs

All food businesses have the opportunity to apply to have a Food Safety Program (FSP) accredited with Council, however, a licensable food business must have an accredited FSP if:

the food business involves offsite catering
the primary activity of the food business is onsite catering at the premises
the primary activity of the food business is on-site catering at part of the premises stated in the licence
a food business is carried on as part of the operations of a private hospital or otherwise processes or serves potentially hazardous foods to six or more vulnerable persons (for example, childcare centres, Meals on Wheels, aged care facilities).

Council is responsible for accrediting FSP’s for food businesses located within the Scenic Rim Regional Council local government area. This is a requirement of the Food Act 2006.

Food business fit-out guide

If you are opening a new food business, or renovating an existing business, you will need to ensure that the fit-out complies with all current requirements. Queensland Health's design and fit-out guide for food businesses provides detailed information and can help you understand the requirements of fixed and mobile food business.

Step 1 – Complete the Food Business Licence Application, attach the relevant fee and return to council. This application assesses the suitability of the operator and whether they have the required skills and knowledge (including the right training) to safely prepare and sell food to the public. Every licensable food premises requires a Food Safety Supervisor, more information on Food Safety Supervisor can be found here.

The applicant for a licence must be a legal entity, i.e. a person or company. A business name or trading name is not a legal entity and cannot be the licence holder. The applicant applying for the food licence should be the person or company intending on operating the food business not the contractor building the food premises.

Application Form(PDF, 213KB)

Step 2 – Assessment of application. Once your food licence application has been submitted to council with the appropriate fee it will be assessed by an Environmental Health Officer (EHO). Time frames for assessment may vary, however, please allow a minimum of 30 days for a full assessment. Further time may be required if the application does not meet the assessment requirements. A pre-approval will be issued. It is recommended that construction does not start until pre-approval is granted to ensure that the proposed business complies with current standards and to avoid the possibility of having to retrofit.

Step 3 - Final inspection. Once you have completed the fit-out of your premises and before you start trading, contact Council to arrange for an EHO to carry out the final inspection of your food premises. The EHO will need to be satisfied that the construction has been completed in accordance with the fit out information provided. Otherwise, your licence may not be granted and you will not be able to commence trading.