Food audit fact sheet

In NSW, Food Regulation 2015 requires that certain industry sectors are licensed with the NSW Food Authority, including:

• businesses that handle, process or store meat
• dairy farms, factories, vendors and milk collection contractors
• businesses that handle seafood and shellfish
• food service to vulnerable persons in hospitals and aged care facilities
• high-priority plant product businesses
• the egg industry

To protect public health and safety, and ensure compliance with Food Regulation 2015 and the Food Standards Code, the NSW Food Authority undertakes regular audits and inspections of all licensed businesses under two different audit models.

New licensees and existing licensed low-risk businesses that apply for a high-risk licence to produce ready-to-eat foods are subject to an increased audit frequency under the licensing audit model.

Once a food business can demonstrate long-term compliance with legislative requirements, it moves to the compliance audit model, where routine audits will be undertaken. The frequency of audits will depend upon the type of business (priority classification), as well as the rating received at the last audit.

The NSW Food Authority publishes a fact sheet on food audits, which is available from its website.