Food Safety in a home food business

A home food businesses is someone who uses their home to handle (store, repackage or prepare) food for sale. This can include preparing food for local markets, catering for events, Bed and Breakfasts, or family day care businesses.

Home food businesses need to meet the same food safety requirements as other food businesses. They are required to comply with the Food Act 2008, Food Regulations 2009 and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

The Shire can only consider applications for a home food business if the proposed products are low risk.

Examples of low risk foods that may be permitted in residential kitchens include:

• Jams.
• Cakes, biscuits, muffins and flour products which do not contain potentially hazardous food such as cream and/or cheese.
• Cake decorating (egg traditional wedding cakes using marzipan decoration only).
• Chutneys, relishes and sauces that are heat treated by boiling or cooking.
• Herb vinegars with a pH of less than 4.5.
• Repackaging of bulk packaged low risk food products.
• Pickled onions.
• Food prepared as part of a Bed & Breakfast (B&B) or similar operation (NB: approval to conduct a B&B is a separate requirement).
• Food prepared for a single fund raising event arranged by a community or charitable organisation.

Other food preparation activities

Other food processing activities may be approved but only where these are assessed by our Environmental Health Officers and the residential kitchen is of a suitable standard.

However, generally other more complex food processing activities will be required to be undertaken in an approved purpose built commercial kitchen.

If your kitchen is not of a commercial standard and you wish to undertake more complex food processing activities, you have the option of hiring a Shire owned commercial kitchen.

Do you need planning approval for a home food business?

Yes, generally you will always need planning approval for your home food business, particularly if you’re proposed business will entail things like;

• Customers or deliveries to visit your house, and
• If you will be employing people that are not members of the occupiers family.

For further information on the planning approval process, please contact Shire’s Planning Services on 9526 1111.

How to apply

To apply for a home business, please complete our Food premises notification / registration form as well as our Application to prepare and sell food from a residential premise. 

Our Environmental Health Officer will undertake an initial assessment with you prior to issuing you with a Certificate of Registration for your food business.

Low risk food businesses are assessed on an annual basis. Please refer to the Food premises notification / registration form for the current fees.

Additional resources:

Info Note: Food Preparation in Residential Premises

Info Note:  Cleaning and Sanitising 

For further information, please contact Health Services on 9526 1111 or by email info@sjshire.wa.gov.au.