Food

On this page:

• Food Act 2014
• Applying to open a food business
• Mobile Food Premises (Food Trucks) in Kaikoura
• Temporary Food Stalls and Fundraising
• Home kill
• Food Premise Fees under the Food Act 2014
• Food complaints
• Useful contacts and links

Applying to open a food business

Once you are ready to open you new food business or mobile shop, you need to submit your registration application. You will need:

• A completed scope of operations document. Find this at www.mpi.govt.nz 
• If you are applying for a National Programme (NP) registration, you can choose your verifier. You will need a confirming letter from your verifier to attach to this application. A list of recognised verification (or audit) agencies can be on the MPI website, under ‘registers and lists’. The law requires Councils to verify businesses registered under the template food control plan.
• If your business is a registered limited liability company, a copy of the company registration certificate. See www.companies.govt.nz
• You need to make sure you can confirm that the operator of the food businesses is resident in New Zealand within the meaning of section YD 1 or YD 2 (excluding section YD 2(2)) of the Income Tax Act 2007.
• If you were registered with either the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) or your local council before 1 March 2016, make sure you have your previous registration IDs on hand. These are IDs such as FSA-JBIP-12345 or WEBB-12345.
• Details for payment of your application fee will be invoiced accordingly.

Download the application form 

Apply now 

Back to top

Mobile Food Premises (Food Trucks) in Kaikoura

Mobile shop means a vehicle (whether self-propelled or not) from which:

• goods are offered or exposed for sale; or
• goods may be ordered; or
• services are offered for sale.

It does not include any vehicle:

• from which food is sold for consumption in or at the vehicle; or
• used for the purpose of transporting and delivering (ordered) goods

For advice on operating a mobile food premise, please contact:

• Environmental Health Officers - For information on legislative requirements regarding mobile shops and Market/Event stall applications
• Planning Officer - For advice on public place trading. An operator needs to comply with the Public Places Bylaw and any other legislation. You should apply for a public place trader licence should you wish to trade in a public place or street that is under council control.

Back to top

Temporary Food Stalls and Fundraising

Fundraising

The Food Act 2014 allows a person/group to trade in food for the sole purpose of raising money for a charitable, benevolent, philanthropic, or cultural purpose up to 20 times a year. These activities are exempt from registration.

Food for sale needs to be safe and suitable and all food must be sourced from a registered supplier.

The most common methods of selling food for fundraising are sausage sizzles, and cake or confectionery stalls. These do not require registration under the Food Act 2014, but you must still prepare and handle the food in a safe and hygienic manner.

• Your stall and any equipment used must be clean and well maintained.
• Food must be stored, prepared, transported and displayed in an appropriate manner so it stays safe for eating.
• Ideally, have a different person for each task - handling money, cooking etc.

Food Trading: Once a Year

There is an allowance to enable people to trade in food once per calendar year who do not ordinarily trade in food.  Examples of this include: a family with a food stall at an annual cultural festival or food provided at a home garage sale.

• For further guidance and information, visit the MPI website
• A Public Trading bylaw applies within the Kaikoura District, contact us for more information 

Back to top

Food Premise Fees under the Food Act 2014

Back to top

Home kill

• Homekill [PDF, 2 MB]
• Homekill for animal owners – the basics [PDF, 441 KB]
• Homekill for recreational catch service providers – the basics [PDF, 462 KB]
• A Guide to Homekill and Recreational Catch [PDF, 4.3 MB]

Homekill meat is eaten at your own risk

Home kill meat is not subject to the same rigorous regulatory controls that apply to meat bought from a supermarket or butcher – homekill meat is eaten at your own risk. 

Illegal to trade or sell homekill meat

Your homekill meat can only be consumed by you as the animal's owner, your family, your household, and any farm workers employed in an ongoing manner in the farm's daily operations and their family and household.

Homekill can be served on a marae for traditional activities within the iwi or hapū, but if there is any element of trade, commercially processed meat must be used.

You cannot serve homekill meat to paying customers, (for example to guests at bed and breakfasts or lodges), or barter, raffle or donate the meat for use as a prize or as a fundraiser. Homekill cannot be used by schools, universities, hospitals or prisons.

Trade is restricted

You can only trade (sell) the parts of your homekill that are not for human or animal consumption, for example hides, skins, horns or antlers. Waste material like animal fat and carcases can be sold or disposed of to a renderer.

Illegal to 'select and slaughter'

It is illegal to 'select and slaughter', where you purchase an animal from a farmer and then have it slaughtered before taking the meat away. It is also illegal for the farmer to let you slaughter the animal on his or her property.

Harsh penalties for breaking the rules

The penalties for breaking homekill rules are significant. The maximum fine is $75,000 for individuals and $300,000 for corporations.

If you can't carry out homekill legally, you can buy an animal and send it to a registered abattoir for killing and processing.

Back to top

Food complaints

Food poisoning is the general term applied to illnesses picked up from eating food or consuming water contaminated with bacteria, viruses, protozoa, chemicals, or natural organic substances (such as green potato poisons). The severity and duration of symptoms will vary depending on the illness involved. Symptoms may include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Abdominal Cramps
• Nausea
• Fever

The food responsible for the illness could have been consumed from two hours to weeks earlier. Most people will simply experience an inconvenience, but food poisoning can be dangerous, particularly among the very young, very old, pregnant women, and people already suffering from other illnesses.

What to do if you suspect you have food poisoning

If you think you have food poisoning, contact your own doctor first, especially if you think you need medication to relieve the symptoms.

If you want to take the complaint further, contact Food and Health  to discuss the situation. A faecal sample may be requested to confirm the presence of food poisoning organisms and to identify which type of infection you have. 

 Back to top

The Food Act 2014

The Food Act 2014 came into force on 1 March 2016. It places a responsibility for selling safe and suitable foods on the food operating business. 'Safe and suitable' means that:

• 'Safe food' won't make people sick
• 'Suitable’ food' meets compositional, labelling and identification requirements and is in the right condition for its intended use.

Businesses that have a higher food safety risk operate under stricter food safety requirements and checks than lower-risk food businesses. The requirements are:

• Food control plans (FCPs) for higher-risk activities. 
• National programmes 1,2 and 3 for lower-risk activities. 

Council works with the Ministry for Primary industries and Food and Health Standards Ltd. to monitor all food businesses in our district appropriately. Council:

• issues registrations for food businesses
• performs food safety verifications for Template Food Control Plans.

Other regulatory activities are carried out by either MPI or Food and Health Standards Ltd.

Back to top

Useful Links

• MPI online tool “Where Do I Fit?”  helps operators work out where their food activity or business fits within the Food Act rules. 

• What is a Food Control Plan (FCP)?

• Food Act Case Studies - real businesses operating under the new Food Act 

• Homekill rules from the Ministry for Primary Industries

Contact Information

The Kaikoura District Council contract Environmental Services to Food and Health Standards (2006) Ltd. Food and Health are the primary contract for food related matters including; complaints, registration and advice.

Address: Food and Health Standards, Po Box 7469, Christchurch 8240

Phone: 03 365 1667

Email: office@foodandhealth.co.nz