2. Check if you need a Food Control Plan or National Programme

​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

​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.