Food Safety Program

The purpose of a food safety program is to identify food safety hazards and to document procedures and critical points in the process where control is needed to ensure food is safely produced and sold.

Fact Sheets and Resources

Isaac Regional Council has developed The Safe Food Handbook (PDF, 1.5 MB).
Queensland Health Food Safety website provides a range of food safety fact sheets and the LG Toolbox provides a fact sheet for Water Carriers.

FREE Online Food Safety Training

Frequently Asked Questions

Who needs approval?

The applicant for a licence must be a legal entity (e.g. person(s) or Company).

Note - a business name or shop name is not a legal entity and cannot be the licence holder.

A food business that conducts the following activities requires a licence from Council. (unless non-profit organisation - see below) NB: If you are unsure if your business requires a licence, contact Council.

Manufacture of food

Examples:

• Making food for wholesale by combining ingredients. For example, producing frozen meals in a factory or producing cake mixes.
• Significantly changing the condition or nature of food by any process such as milling flour, peeling, cutting or freezing vegetables.
• Bottling or canning food.
• Packing unpackaged food, other than unprocessed primary produce. For example; packing bulk coffee for wholesale.
• Making and packaging of ice (with the exception of making ice at a particular venue for use at that venue. For example, selling flavoured ice such as snow cones or bags of party ice).
• Making biscuits or cakes for retail sales for profit (For example, baking at home, then selling at stalls, markets or fetes etc.).

Examples of licensable food businesses:

• Restaurant or delicatessen.
• Catering business.
• Takeaway pizza shop.
• Motel providing meals with accommodation.
• Unpackaged food from a vending machine.
• Child care centres/services.
• Private residential facilities.
• Bed and breakfasts.
• Preparing and selling meals to homeless persons at a homeless persons' hostel.
• The preparation of meals by Meals on Wheels
• Potable Water Carriers

Non Profit Organisations

Non-profit organisations are considered licensable food businesses if they provide meals at a particular place on at least 12 days each financial year.

Examples:

• A restaurant, open daily to the public, operated by a sporting club to raise revenue for the club
• A non-profit organisation preparing and selling meals to homeless persons at a homeless persons hostel
• The preparation of meals by Meals on Wheels
• Mobile food van (providing meals) at a sporting ground

Who does not need approval?

Even though a licence may not be required, you still have a responsibility to ensure the sale of safe and suitable food and an obligation to comply with the Food Standards Code. This includes the design, construction and fit out of your premises.

A food business that conducts ONLY the following activities does not require a food licence from Council but may need an approval from another Government agency:

• Production of primary produce under an accreditation granted under the Food Production (Safety) Act 2000, Part 5. example; abattoir or dairy farm.
• The processing or sale of fisheries resources under the provisions of a buyers licence issued under the Fisheries Regulation 2008.
• Food business conducted by the State or a government-owned corporation.
• Tuckshops operated by a parents and citizens association at a State School.
• Handling of food at a person's home that is intended to be given away to a non-profit organisation for sale by the organisation.
• Sale of unpackaged snack food that is not potentially hazardous. Examples: Corn chips or potato chips confectionary, nuts
• Biscuits or cakes. (however, the business where the biscuits/cakes are made needs to be licensed)
• Sale of whole fruit or vegetables.
• Sale of seeds, spices, dried herbs, tea leaves, coffee beans or ground coffee.
• Sale of drinks, other than fruit or vegetable juice processed at the place of sale. Examples: Tea or coffee, Soft drinks, Alcoholic drinks.
• Sale of ice including flavoured ice such as snow cones or bags of party ice.
• Provision of meals by a non-profit organisation if: the meal consists only of fruit, cereal, toast, or similar food, or the consumer of the meal helps to prepare it.
• Sale of unpackaged food, not considered to be a meal, by a not-for-profit organisation. Example; BBQ sausage sizzle.
• Provision of meals by a non-profit organisation that: are pre-prepared by an entity other than the organisation, and are stored and heated or otherwise prepared by the organisation in accordance with directions of the meal's manufacture.

Contact

For details contact Council's Environmental Health Officer on 1300 ISAACS (1300 47 22 27)