Notification and Registration of Horticultural Food Businesses Berry, Melon, Leafy Greens Registration
New food safety standards come into effect on 12 February 2025 which require some horticultural primary production, transport and processing food businesses to notify or register their operations with their local government.
Food businesses impacted by the new standards include growers, wholesale suppliers and transporters of berries, melons and leafy vegetables.
Berries
- If you grow berries, you must notify the Shire of Harvey of your berry operations to comply with the requirements of the new law, including being able to trace your produce. Berry growers are not generally subjected to routine inspections.
- To ensure you have complied with this requirement complete and submit the Food Notification Form - Berries.
Melons and leafy vegetables
If you grow or process leafy vegetables and/or melons, you must now legally register as a food business with the Shire of Harvey to comply with the new law.
Growers and processors on an existing food safety scheme
- Growers on existing schemes, such as Freshcare, SQF and Global GAP, will only be required to provide general business contact details and copies of select forms that are already completed as part of their certification to complete their registration.
- These growers and processors will not be subjected to routine inspections as they are already audited by a certified independent third-party auditor.
Please complete and submit the following form to ensure you have complied with this requirement:
Food Registration Form - Melon GFSI Grower.
Growers and processors not on an existing food safety scheme
- Growers that are not on existing schemes will need to formally document how they will be managing food safety in a food safety management statement, to be submitted with their completed registration form.
- Please complete and submit the following form, which includes a food safety management statement template, to ensure you have complied with this requirement:
Food Registration Form and Food Safety Management Statement - Melon Non GFSI Grower
Inspections
The Shire of Harvey will carry out routine inspections of leafy vegetable and melon grower farms and primary processing facilities using the Fresh Produce Risk Assessment Guide available below:
Fresh Produce Risk Assessment Guide
For further information on these new laws, please visit the Department of Health website, or contact the Shire of Harvey on (08) 9729 0300.
All home-based food preparation will require approval from the Shire.
There are restrictions on the types of food that can be prepared in your home kitchen. Potentially hazardous food or food that has to be kept at certain temperatures to minimise the growth of any pathogenic microorganism are NOT PERMITTED from a home business.
The following foods are generally approved:
- Cakes and cake decorating (excluding cream), biscuits and flour products
- Jams, chutneys, relishes, pickled onions and sauces
- Food for sale for charitable events (we recommend excluding meat, cream and eggs)
- Food for home stay and farm stay accommodation
- Repackaging of bulk, low-risk confectionary.
What is a non-potentially hazardous foods? Non-potentially hazardous foods are foods with a low water activity and low pH level that inhibit the growth of dangerous microorganisms. Basically it means non-perishable foods; foods that you would not normally keep in the refrigerator. Foods that are perishable, such as cheesecakes, or custard fillings, or meringue pies, are not permitted
Food stalls wishing to operate within the Shire, separate to an approved event or market, must apply for approval. Complete and submit the "Temporary Food Stall Application" form that can be found in the Related Documents section at the end of this page.
Temporary food stall holders wishing to trade at approved events or markets within the Shire must:
- Contact the event organiser to confirm that they will permit you to trade at their event/market.
- Whether your food business is registered with the Shire or another local government, you must hold a current Food Act 2008 Certificate of Registration issued by that municipality.
- Contact the event organiser to ensure you provide them with the required documentation, usually Certificate of Registration, public liability insurance certificate and in some cases a floor plan of your stall.
Important note: Markets and events are regularly inspected by Environmental Health Officers who will check for compliance.
All food businesses should be familiar with labelling requirements. All food sold in Australia must comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code for labelling. Refer to the Food Standards Food Labelling Guidance for information on the requirements for compliant labels.
Everything said about a food on the label is also subject to Australian Consumer Law, which prohibits false, misleading or deceptive representations.
Food Allergen Rules
All food businesses are responsible for managing the presence of allergens in food and must follow rules set out in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
The rules are strict because allergic consumers:
- Can suffer a severe allergic reaction which may cause death, and
- Rely on food labels and information provided by retailers and suppliers to check whether a food is safe for them to eat
Food businesses must:
- Declare allergens on the label, or
- Display allergen information next to food that does not require a label, or
- Provide allergen information if requested by a customer
It is a serious offence if:
- Allergen information is not on a label
- A consumer is not given allergen information when they ask for it
- An allergen is found in a food that was specifically requested not to contain that allergen
- Incorrect allergen information is provide
It is a legal responsibility that all food business operators ensure that staff working within their business have adequate skills and knowledge in relation to the tasks they are undertaking. This is an important tool in ensuring safe food and the Shire’s Environmental Health Officers actively enforce this requirement.
I’M ALERT – a free online food safety course, has been developed by qualified and experienced environmental health professionals.
The program is easy to follow, includes an entertaining presentation as well as interactive quizzes.
A training acknowledgement form can be printed upon completion and be kept as a part of your records.
Sausage sizzle and barbecues are a popular way to raise money for charities and community organisations.
All food handlers are encouraged to complete the I’M Alert Free online safety course (see above).
Below are some recommendations to try to ensure food for sale at sausage sizzles is safe.
Food preparation and storage
- Prepare food before leaving for the event eg. cutting and separating sausages, chopping onions
- Ensure the esky or portable fridge has enough space for all of the meat and that the meat is surrounded by ice bricks during transport and the event.
- Store sausages at 5 degrees or below
- Store drinks for sale in separate eskies to avoid cross contamination and they are open frequently
- Use separate tongs and gloves when handling raw and cooked sausages
- Never place cooked sausages back on the trays that held the raw ones
- Cover all food to protect it from contamination and store food in clean food storage containers or plastic bags.
Handwashing
- Hands must be washed regularly. If water cannot be provided, alternatives such as hand cleaning creams or gels, sanitizing wipes can be used.
- Hands must be washed or gloves changed after handling raw meat, money, drinks, cleaning equipment, rubbish and before handling the ready to eat sausages and buns.
- It is suggested that one person does the cooking, one person handles the drinks and money and one person assembles the food for customers.
The information on this page is for egg producers (chickens, ducks and quail) who sell eggs for human consumption. It will help you understand how to produce safe eggs and meet your legal obligations.
While eggs are a nutritious food, they have the potential to be contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella or chemicals that can cause food poisoning and illness. It is important that egg producers have effective hygiene measures in place including:
- managing the hazards associated with egg production
- making sure that staff understand the importance of managing these hazards
- making sure that staff have the skills and knowledge that they need for their work.
Complying with the egg production standard
If you produce eggs for sale or supply you must comply with the Food Act 2008 and the national Primary Production and Processing Standard for Eggs and Egg Product (the Standard).
All egg producers in Australia are required by law to:
*Egg products include pulp, dried egg, liquid egg white and liquid egg yolk.
Meat and poultry processing plants are premises where meat (including game meat) for human consumption is processed, treated, boned, cut up, packed, packaged or stored.
This includes raw meat, the production of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat such as ham, beef jerky and biltong, and uncooked comminuted fermented meat (UCFM) products such as salami, chorizo, and pepperoni.
Meat includes:
- bovine (cow, ox, buffalo); bubaline (antelope); camel; caprine (goat); cervidae (deer); ovine (sheep); porcine (pig); soliped (horse) species
- any bird including ratite (emu)
- rabbit
- crocodile
Meat processing plants do not include:
- abattoirs for red meat nor non-red meat
- game meat field depots
- game meat processors
- retail meat premises (butcheries).
Food Safety Controls
Food safety controls include the requirements for food handling from receipt to disposal. They also include food recall requirements.
Food Safety Program
Meat processing businesses need to develop and implement a documented food safety program.
This shows the business has examined its food production activities and identified all potential food safety hazards. It outlines how the hazards are controlled, corrective action if they are not controlled, a schedule for regular reviews of the program, and appropriate records to keep.
Product recalls
Any product recall needs to comply with the Code.
In addition, a food safety program needs to document procedures for product recall.
Product testing must be conducted in a National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratory.
Inspections and Audits
On a scheduled basis, meat and poultry processing plants will be audited by the Shire for compliance with requirements.
Compliance or regulatory action will be taken if required.
There are fees for audits and inspections, payable by the licence holder.