Food business requirements
Council’s Environmental Health Officers are responsible for regulating food businesses in Clarence. The team, work with organisations that undertake food handling to ensure food is safe to consume.
In Tasmania, all food businesses selling food must be registered with the relevant Local Government Authority. In Clarence, this means such businesses must be registered with Clarence City Council.
Register or renew a food business
To register or renew a food business, you must notify council by completing and returning the below form. Once we receive your form, our environmental health team will assess it and contact you regarding the registration process.
You must have a Certificate of Registration for a food business from us before you can commence selling food.
Registration of food businesses expire on 30 June each year. We will send a renewal form to all existing food businesses in Clarence before this date.
Temporary food stalls
Anyone selling food at a temporary food stall must register with us.
To register your temporary food stall, complete and return the below form. The form must be lodged two weeks before the event.
The form includes information about minimum food handling requirements which you are obliged to follow.
A fee will be required before the permit is issued. A half fee is applicable for voluntary and not-for-profit organisations.
For applicable fees please refer to council’s current Fee Schedule.
Mobile food businesses
A mobile food business is a food business that operates from a mobile structure.
The term mobile structure is defined in the Food Act 2003 as: ‘A vehicle, trailer, cart, tent, stall booth, pontoon, table, barbeque, pizza oven, or other mobile structure, that is not permanently fixed to the whole, or part, of a building, structure or land, in, at or from which food is, or is intended to be, handled or sold.’
Detailed guidelines for the operation of a mobile food business are available from the Department of Health website. We also have copies that can be forwarded to you on request.
The certificate of registration for your mobile food business gives state-wide registration and needs to be renewed annually.
If you only want to operate an occasional fundraising stall or a food stall at a school fair etc., then a one-off temporary registration is required.
To register your mobile food business, complete and return the appropriate form below.
Online Registration/Renewal Form
Fill in your application form online to register or renew a food business licence.
Pay your Food Business Invoice Online
To pay your invoice online you will require your payment reference number that is located on the top right hand side of your invoice.
Food business construction and renovation
The establishment of a new food business may be subject to approval from various council departments including planning, building, plumbing and/or environmental health. Environmental health services are required to assess and approve all plans for new food premises and alterations or extensions of existing food premises.
We recommend that owners, architects and builders contact our environmental health team on 03 6217 9570 in the initial stages of any proposal so we can discuss requirements of the relevant legislation with you. Doing so may save time and money at a later stage of the approval process.
Mobile Food Business in Public Places
At a council meeting on 23 November 2020, Clarence City Council unanimously approved a Mobile Food Business in Public Places Policy which will allow the operation of mobile food businesses on public land.
The policy will be adopted for a 12-month trial basis and will govern the permit process to allow mobile food vendors to operate on council-owned and managed land.
More information and registration forms are available on the Mobile Food Business in Public Places page.
Food Safety training
Food handlers are required to have appropriate skills and knowledge to be able to handle and keep food safely.
Clarence City Council encourages food handlers working within Clarence to undertake food education and hygiene training programs.
DoFoodSafely is a free online learning program, with eight language options, designed to teach you how to safely work with and handle food in commercial settings.
You can access the DoFoodSafely program here.
Department of Health
Public and Environmental Health Services at the Department of Health help ensure food made, sold or consumed in Tasmania is safe by regulating and monitoring food safety with local councils and other government departments. They also develop, implement and advise on food safety policy and legislation, and coordinate food incidents such as recalls and outbreaks of food borne disease.
For more information on food safety for consumers, food businesses and auditors, as well as links to other related sites, visit the Department of Health website.
Templates
Visit Food Standards Australia New Zealand for nationally recognised examples of templates that you can utilise within your business. The templates include supplier details, food receipt, cooling food, temperature record sheet, cleaning and sanitising procedure and cleaning and sanitising record sheets. If you have difficulty accessing the templates, please contact our Environmental Health team for assistance.