Food premises in Liverpool are inspected according to a risk assessment. Low-risk businesses are inspected when a complaint is received, medium-risk businesses and mobile food vehicles are inspected once a year, and high-risk businesses are inspected twice a year. Temporary food stalls are inspected when events occur.

Inspections aim to ensure food premises comply with the Food Act 2003, Food Regulation 2015 and the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

Under the Food Act 2003, authorised Environmental Health Officers are permitted to enter and inspect premises involved with the handling or sale of food. Inspections focus on issues including cleanliness, temperature control, contamination, hygiene, food-handling practices, pest control, construction, maintenance and waste storage.

Most food businesses voluntarily follow best practices. If inspections find non-compliance, improvement notices or fines may be issued. Reinspections will then be conducted until compliance is achieved.

Scores on Doors

Liverpool City Council participates in the NSW Food Authority’s voluntary program that recognises and celebrates businesses demonstrating good to excellent standards in food safety.

Scores on Doors shows customers whether food businesses are complying with NSW hygiene and food safety requirements.

Council’s Environmental Health Officers conduct random inspections and food premises are awarded a certificate if the results of the inspection are deemed good to excellent.

Register of Penalty Notices

The NSW Food Authority maintains a register of food premises that have been issued with fines for non-compliance with the Food Act 2003. This register can be found on their website.

The Food Act 2003 requires certain food businesses to have at least one trained Food Safety Supervisor (FSS). The FSS is required to complete training and demonstrate a level of competency before obtaining a Food Safety Supervisor’s certificate.

The FSS certificates expire after five years. It is the responsibility of the food business owner to ensure they have appointed a FSS and that their certificate is current. If the certificate is due to expire, the food business must enrol their FSS in recertification training with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) approved under the FSS program.

For further details, refer to the NSW Food Authority website.

A copy of the FSS certificate issued by the NSW Food Authority must be available for viewing by Environmental Health Officers within the food premises. Failure to comply can lead to a penalty notice of up to $660.

What do I need to do to comply?

How to comply with Food Safety Supervisor requirements:

1. Determine whether your business needs to an FSS;
2. Choose who will be the FSS for your business;
3. Select a NSW Food Authority FSS-approved Registered Training Organisation and undertake the required units of competency. The FSS must be trained by a RTO approved by the NSW Food Authority. Lists of all the approved RTOs are available on the NSW Food Authority website. Only approved RTOs, and the NSW Food Authority, can issue a Food Safety Supervisor certificate. Approved FSS training is offered by TAFE and a number of companies, at many locations and times and in different languages.Elements of the training to consider:
   Time: the course runs for about seven hours (run in one full day or in several short sessions)
   Cost: ranges from $200 - $300
   Languages: some companies offer training which has been translated
   Locations: training is offered throughout Sydney and NSW
   On-line: FSS training is available by correspondence and on-line.
4. Once the FSS receives a Statement of Attainment and the FSS certificate is issued by the NSW Food Authority, a copy of the certificate must be kept on the premises. The FSS certificate is valid for five years and must be available for viewing at the premises by Council Environmental Health Officers.
5. After five years, the FSS is required to obtain refresher training. Food businesses have 30 working days to make sure their appointed FSS participates in the refresher training and obtains a new FSS certificate.

For further information, visit the Department of Primary Industries Food Authority.

Council provides FREE and unlimited access to an on-line Food Safety Program that will assist you and your food handlers in gaining valuable skills and knowledge in food safety and hygiene, which will help to ensure that only safe and suitable food is produced at your food business.

This program is presented in an interactive, easy to follow, and entertaining format that enables the user to print off an acknowledgement form and a certificate upon completion of the program that can be kept as a part of your staff records.

This training program will assist food business managers in ensuring all staff are trained in this important area, thereby reducing any risk of food borne illness resulting from poor food handling practices.

It is recommended that all food handling staff take part in this FREE training opportunity that would otherwise cost you time and money.

Liverpool City Council has made this program available to anyone who would like to complete the training, please log in to Council’s free online food safety training program at I'm Alert Food Safety portal.

Note: Please be advised that this course is not an accredited Food Safety Supervisor Course and should not be mistaken as such. Please refer to the NSW Food Authority Website for a list of accredited Food Safety Supervisor registered training organisations.

All food businesses in the Liverpool City Council area (including mobile food vehicles that reside within the area) are required to notify the Council using the approved form before the business begins trading, as per the Food Act 2003.

To notify Liverpool City Council of your food business prior to commencing, fill out the approved form.

Please refer to Council’s Event Permits page where you will find Liverpool City Council’s Mobile Food Vehicles Policy and other useful information relating to event permits.

Council is committed to ensuring retail food outlets comply with industry standards and provide food safe for consumption. When making a complaint about a food premises, please provide the following information:

• Date and time the food was consumed or the issue being observed;
• Name and address of the food business; and/or
• If the matter is food poisoning related, the food that was consumed and the specific details of the illness such as when symptoms started, duration of the illness, and what was the illness.

Complaints can be lodged by contacting Council’s Customer Service Centre on 1300 362 170.