This section contains information for food premises in Stratford District.
Any premises used for the manufacture, preparation or storage of food for sale must be registered with us and cannot open until registration is complete. This includes restaurants, cafes, bakeries, dairies, supermarkets, etc. All food for sale in these premises must also be made in registered premises - food cannot be produced in a home kitchen for sale.
To receive a certificate of registration the premise must comply with the standards and requirements under the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974. The certificate of registration needs to be displayed in a public part of the premises.
New premises must also have a code compliance certificate as required under the Building Act 2004 and meet all other legislation requirements before final approval can be given. You are encouraged to apply for a PIM (project information memorandum) early on in your planning to establish the feasibility and design of the project.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
Our planning and regulatory team is here to help ensure you meet all the relevant health and building regulations.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
After making an application for registration, and nearer to the proposed opening date, the Environmental Health Officer must be contacted to arrange a final evaluation of the premises to check that work has been completed in accordance with the approved plans.
Work requiring a building consent requires a code compliance certificate. This must be available before the Environmental Health Officer’s visit.
Provided the premise has been completed in accordance with the approved plans, and the certificate of registration is issued, you can open for business.
It is an offence to operate the premise prior to the issue of a certificate of registration.
ONGOING CHECKS
Once the premises are registered ongoing checks will be carried out by Environmental Health Officers to ensure safe food, conduct and structural requirements are maintained.
Officers may arrive at any reasonable time (Section 128 of the Health Act 1956) and are not obliged to make an appointment prior to the visit. This means you can expect a visit any time while you are operating.
REGISTRATION RENEWAL
Your registration must be renewed every year. The registration period runs from 1 July to 30 June.
FOOD MANUFACTURING
If you intend to operate as a wholesale outlet or food manufacturer you will also need to contact Taranaki Health (06 753 7798). They will advise you on the standards for composition, labelling, ingredients, preservative and packaging requirements.
FOOD CONTROL PLANS
Food Control Plans are a key part of the new domestic food regulatory system. The proposed law means food business operators will need to actively manage food safety. This will be done using a Food Control Plan.
A Food Control Plan shows an operator how to produce safe food by controlling the risk areas in preparing and selling food. The off-the-peg Food Control Plan for food service (restaurants, cafes, takeaways etc) and catering businesses is available now on a voluntary basis.
To learn more about Food Control Plans and to download the Food Control Plan and diary for food service and catering businesses, click on the link below.
Food Control Plans – all about them and how to download the Food Service and Catering Plan and Diary
SALE OF LIQUOR
If you intend to sell liquor on your premises or have patrons bring liquor for consumption on the premises while dining, you will need to apply for the appropriate licence as a requirement of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989.
Liquor can not be sold until a separate licence has been obtained for this purpose.
SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTS AMENDMENT BILL 2003
As of 10 December 2004 no person may smoke in the indoor area of a hospitality venue. This includes indoor workplaces, restaurants, cafes, eateries, casinos or gaming machine rooms and licensed premises.
An indoor area is enclosed by walls, sides, screens or similar surfaces (including closable openings such as windows and doors) and an overhead surface such as a ceiling. Open decks, verandahs, gardens and open-sided gazebos are not considered "indoors" so the smoke-free provisions do not apply. In this instance, proprietors may choose to allow people to smoke in these areas.
