New Zealand runs on risk. Under the Food Act 2014, the higher the risk of what a business does, the more it must do. The primary duty is one line: a person who trades in food must ensure that it is safe and suitable (s 14).
Ministry for Primary Industries
Administers the Act, issues food notices and templates, and registers custom plans.Councils
Territorial authorities register template plans and for businesses in their area, and can them.Verifiers
Recognised verifiers and agencies check the plan and the business. Operators must give them access.| Main law | What it does |
|---|---|
| Food Act 2014 | Primary duty (s 14), sectors and risk-based measures (Schedules 1 to 3), , , offences. |
| Food Regulations 2015 | The rulebook. Premises, cleaning, pests, water, tracing, , hygiene, competency, internal checks, , 4-year records. Part 2 repeats these for . Part 3 sets frequency. |
| Food notices | Secondary legislation. The 2023 notice sets temperature for . A 2026 notice issues the current template plan. |
| , Chapters 1 and 2 | Labelling, composition and additives. Shared with Australia. Chapter 3 does not apply in New Zealand. |
Getting permission to operate
Find your sectorThe Act's schedules place each kind of food business under a or a . MPI's My Food Rules tool helps with this.
Choose the planMost food service and retail can use the Simply Safe & Suitable template. A business that makes high-risk food to sell to other businesses needs a custom plan.
Register itTemplate plans and most register with the council. Custom plans register with MPI. A national programme operating in more than one council area registers with MPI.
Get verifiedTemplate: within 6 weeks for a new business, within a year for an existing one. Custom: within 3 months for new, 6 months for existing.
Stay in the cycle then runs on a schedule set by results: every 3 to 18 months for a , and on a separate table with longer steps for a . Good outcomes reduce the frequency. Notify the registration authority of significant changes.
| Measure | For whom | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Template | Most food service and food retail | Use the official template. You can remove parts that don't apply, but you can't add your own provisions (s 38). The rules become law for you once registered. |
| Custom | Those making high-risk food for other businesses, such as prepared meals, and those with processes outside the template | You write it, it is evaluated, and you register it with MPI and renew yearly. |
| , level 3 | The highest of the three levels. MPI examples: brewers and distillers, additive makers, fruit drink and flour makers | No written plan. Register, meet the standards, keep records, get . |
| , level 2 | Medium risk. MPI examples: bread bakeries, makers of jam, chips, confectionery, sauces and spreads | As above. |
| , level 1 | Lower risk. MPI examples: transporters and distributors, horticultural producers and packhouses | As above. |
The template's rules are the numbers
There is no Code here. For a template plan the are in the template: 5 °C or colder, above 60 °C hot, a 6-hour limit, 75 °C reheating. use the food notice.No set supervisor certificate
No prescribed course or supervisor was found in the Act or Regulations. The plan names a day-to-day manager, and the business identifies and records required competencies (reg 31).Recall is written in
Tracing information goes to MPI within 24 hours of a request (reg 26). A decision is notified to MPI within 24 hours (reg 27). A simulated recall runs at least every 12 months (reg 27A).Grades are local
No national public grade was found when this page was read. The Act allows regulations about grading schemes (s 385). Some councils run a grade under a local bylaw, so a rule can apply in one district and not the next.Penalties
Knowingly or recklessly endangering health (s 222): up to 500,000 New Zealand dollars for a company, up to 5 years and 100,000 New Zealand dollars for an individual. Negligence (s 224): up to 250,000 New Zealand dollars for a company, up to 1 year and 50,000 New Zealand dollars for an individual. Infringement notices also apply.Moving between Australia and New Zealand
Labels and composition share one Code, so these often carry across. Hygiene systems don't: an Australian program is not a registered New Zealand plan.