Retail food businesses in NSW need to meet new food safety requirements in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code) from 8 December 2024.

This affects a range of business types that were previously exempt from the ‘Food Safety Supervisor’ requirement. The following sectors need to demonstrate safe food practice under Standard 3.2.2A: 

• School canteens
• Children's services that supply food
• Supermarkets
• Greengrocers
• Delis
• Coffee vendors that sell food
• Correctional centres
• Boarding schools

The Food Safety Supervisor requirement ensures services are actively monitoring and managing key risks related to food temperature control, food processing, and cleaning and sanitising, which are critical for food safety.

The changes aim to improve the skills and knowledge of food handlers, and to assist businesses and enforcement agencies to identify failures in the management of potentially hazardous food more quickly and take appropriate action.

Review the Food Authority’s Standard 3.2.2 frequently asked questions for more information and take the online quiz to find out which Food Safety Management Tools apply to your business. 

For advice, contact the NSW Food Authority Helpline ([email protected] or 1300 552 406, 8:30am to 5:30pm, NSW business days).