Tono rēhitatanga hoko kai Apply for food registration

Opening a new business

You may need a resource consent.

To find out if you need a resource consent, call us on 09 301 0101 and ask for the planning helpdesk.

Other licences you may need as well as a food registration

• If you are planning to serve alcohol, you will need an alcohol on-licence.
• If you are planning for your customers to eat or drink outside, you will need an outdoor dining licence.
• If you are thinking about opening a food truck, you may need a mobile trading licence.

You have to register your food business with a registration authority. This can be with us or the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

The registration authority you use will depend on the location of your food business and the plan or programme it is registered under.

Go to the Ministry for Primary Industries website and use the 'My Food Rules?' tool to find out which plan suits your business.

Food Control Plans

There are two types of Food Control Plans.

Most businesses use Food Control Plans from templates provided by MPI.

You can:

• use a Template Food Control Plan that suits your business
• create a Custom Food Control Plan if you are a large business.

National Programmes

Businesses that make or sell mid- to lower-risk foods are more likely to register under a National Programme.

Verification of a food business under Template Food Control Plans and National Programmes

If your business is based in Auckland, you can register your Section 39 Template Food Control Plan and National Programme with us.

Verification of a food business under Template Food Control Plans and limited National Programmes

You can apply for registration and verification services if you are under a Template Food Control Plan or under the following National Programmes:

• Food business that handles food but does not prepare or manufacture food.
• Food service provider for pre-school children, including children under five.
• Food retailer of chilled or frozen food (excluding ice cream, iced confectionery and iced desserts).
• Food retailer of hot beverages and foods packaged by a manufacturer.
• Food retailer of ice cream or iced confectionery packaged by a manufacturer.
• Transporters or distributors of food products.

You need to pay your full registration fee before we can process your application. You will be invoiced for all costs associated with verification. This includes any corrections that are required after you have been verified.

Visit Apply for verification services for information about verification services and costs for:

• a National Programme business that is not on our list
• Section 40 Template Food Control Plans.

How much it costs

You need to pay for:

• registration including the Food Business Levy
• getting verified as a food business and all associated verification costs
• any changes to registration details
• renewing your registration including the Food Business Levy
• enforcement work by food safety officers.

These costs may vary depending on the level of risk involved in your food business.

All fees including the Food Business Levy are non-refundable.

The fees are fixed and are not adjusted or calculated based on the time period they are used for.

Fees table

Not all the fees listed on the table may apply to you and you may have to pay other charges.

Visit Food registration and alcohol licence fees and charges for more information about the Food Business Levy.

• We calculate registration and verification fees on a set minimum time. Any time in excess of this will incur an hourly fee.
• We will charge all corrective follow-up activity per 30 minutes, plus time spent in accessing information and travel time for site visits.
• We may charge additional hourly charges for appointments cancelled at short notice and, in some cases, where we cannot complete the verification.

Timeframes for verifications

For a new business, the first verification will be within 6 weeks of your registration.

For an existing business, the first verification will be within 12 months of your registration renewal or within 6 months if you are registered under a level 3 National Programme.

How often you get checked will depend on whether you are a high- or low-risk business, as well as how you manage food safety. Those who are doing well will be checked less often.

Documents we need

You need to:

• know your food registration type before you complete the relevant Scope of Operations document - see My Food Rules to find out which type of registration (Food Control Plan template, or National Programme Level 1, 2 or 3) fits your business
• provide a completed Scope of Operations document - visit Apply and pay for your food registration for the different documents
• provide a copy of your site plan showing the physical boundaries and layout of your business for a new business
• provide a copy of the confirmation letter from your verification agency, if we are not your verification agency.

We will return your application if it is not complete.

Multi-site business details form

Complete the multi-site form for each additional site being added to your current template food control plan or National Program registration.

Email your application to ehsupport@aklc.govt.nz or visit your local library with council services.

We will invoice any fees after we have processed your application.

​It can take up to 25 working days to process your application.

We will contact you if there are any problems with your application or if we need further information.

How to renew your food registration

It is your responsibility to ensure you renew your registration before it expires. You cannot renew an expired registration.

If your registration has expired, you can re-register by:

• submitting a new application
• paying the full registration fees.

Re-registering your business can affect how often you need to be verified. Visit Apply for verification for your food business for more information about verifications.

If you continue to trade with an expired registration, your registration authority might fine or prosecute you.

We will send you a renewal application form before your registration expires. Let us know if your email or postal address has changed.

When you receive your renewal application, check the details and complete the form.

Your renewal letter will include advice about how to pay for your registration renewal.

Email ehsupport@aklc.govt.nz if there are any changes to your registration.

Fees

Your renewal fee will include the following:

• our registration renewal fee
• the annual Food Business Levy
• the $12.65 Food Business Levy collection fee.

Food businesses operating under a Food Control Plan (custom or template) or a National Programme must pay the Food Business Levy every year.

If you do not pay the levy on time, we will forward the debt to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). MPI may apply penalties including interest charges.

Visit Food registration and alcohol licence fees and charges for more information about the Food Business Levy.

New businesses

If you are a new food business owner and your New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) is changing, you must apply for a new registration. You can only renew your registration if your NZBN remains the same.

How to apply and pay