Food safety

Certain hospitality and retail food service businesses (like restaurants, cafes, takeaways, clubs, pubs) are required to appoint at least one trained Food Safety Supervisor in their business. Council must also be notified of who their Food Safety Supervisor is, and training must be completed at a NSW Food Authority approved Registered Training Organisation.

A Statement of Attainment will be issued by Registered Training Organisations after successful completion of the training requirements. An application for a Food Safety Supervisor Certificate is then required to be submitted to the NSW Food Authority with the relevant fee.

For more information about Food Safety Supervisor requirements and a list of approved training providers, visit the NSW Food Authority.

If you have reason to believe you are suffering from food poisoning or have concerns about contamination of food or an unclean retail food premises you can lodge a complaint with Council's Customer Service Team for investigation by an Environmental Health Officer.

Council works in partnership with the NSW Food Authority and may refer complaints to or investigate complaints referred on by the Authority depending on who is in the best position to deal with the nature of the complaint. Generally, if more than one person is affected by food poisoning from the same premises then the Authority will manage it as an outbreak.  

Please note that Council's role is to implement the relevant food laws and does not extend to seeking compensation for food or any personal injury or to providing legal advice.

The NSW Food Authority has established a consumer helpline and contact centre for reporting these matters:
T: 1300 552 406 (8:30am - 5:30pm, Monday - Friday)
E: food.contact@dpi.nsw.gov.au

When lodging a complaint, please provide as much of the following information as possible:

• Your name, address and telephone number
• The nature, time and location of the incident
• Details of the restaurant, function or event where you believe you consumed the contaminated food including full street address details
• If anyone has become ill, their symptoms and when they started to become ill
• What they ate - the suspected meal and what others ate as well, including dips and sauces
• If there was any left over food that could be tested if an officer determines this is warranted
  
  

It is important if you are feeling unwell that you seek medical advice as soon as possible. 

Any food that poses a safety hazard to consumers is removed from sale, distribution and consumption.

View current recalls here

If you are lodging a Development Application for a new food premises, or planning major construction and fit-out changes to an existing approved food premises, minimum requirements in accordance with the Food Standards Code must be adhered to.

Please see the below guideline for food premises construction and fit-out requirements.

Food premises design, construction and fit-out guide(PDF, 4MB)