Food businesses

Food Safety Newsletter

We publish the Food Safety Newsletter twice a year for all local businesses to provide the latest information and helpful tips in safe food handling and food safety practice. We encourage you to have a read and to share the newsletter with all staff members.

If you would like to see any particular topics discussed, please contact us by email on customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au or call 9528 0333 with any feedback or suggestions.

Free food safety training courses

We take food hygiene very seriously and we are assisting food businesses to meet their obligations by providing free access to an online training tool. 

I'm Alert Food Safety

The program reflects the basic food safety principles and is easy to follow. It also includes an entertaining presentation and interactive quizzes. Chinese text and captions are available.

I'm Alert Food Safety training

FoodSafe Online 

The City of Rockingham in conjunction with Environmental Health Australia (EHA) provides a new comprehensive training tool called FoodSafe Online. The course is flexible, in-house training, which covers all aspects of food safety relevant to the hospitality and food service industry to maintain the highest standard in food safety and hygiene. 

On the payment page use the City's unique discount voucher "FSROCKI316" and you will receive FoodSafe Online free of charge. Once completed, a Training Acknowledgement Form can be printed and retained for your staff records.

FoodSafe Online

Starting a new food business

Before starting a new food business, you must obtain approval from our Planning, Building and Health departments. It is recommended that you contact us for advice before submitting your applications on 9528 0333 or customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

Information relating to building approvals is available on the Building permits and applications page.

Your application for health approval must include a floor plan and elevations of the food preparation, food storage and food service areas. All structural details are required, including the location and types of equipment, the surface finishes, fixtures and fittings. You must include all areas of your food premises, such as any additional food storage areas, the bin storage location, cleaners' store and location of staff and patron toilets (if provided). The number of tables and chairs must also be provided, as well as any alfresco dining.

Your application also needs to include the following:

The food premises will be assessed against the Food Act 2008 (WA), Standard 3.2.2 of the ANZ Food Standards Code – Food Safety Standards, Australian Standard AS4674-2004 Design Construction and Fit-out of a Food Premises, and Australian Standard AS1668.2-1991 The Use of Mechanical Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. These documents are available free of charge by contacting us on 9528 0333 or customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

When your application has been approved, you will receive a conditional approval. Construction may only occur after this time, as the approval will have a set of structural conditions that need to be complied with. If you undertake construction work prior to receiving the approval conditions, you may install fixtures that do not comply and will be required to re-fit prior to being allowed to operate.

When construction has been completed, you need to contact us to arrange for a final inspection. If the premises complies with the conditional approval, we will issue a Certificate of Registration and the premises may begin trading.  The pre-opening checklist should be completed before you contact the City for the final inspection, so you have confidence that the business is ready for the City's Environmental Health Officer.

Running a food business

Proprietors have a number of legal obligations under the Food Act 2008 (WA) and Food Safety Standards. Our Environmental Health Officers undertake ongoing routine inspections of all food premises within the City of Rockingham to ensure that proprietors are meeting their obligations under the food legislation, and maintaining a high level of food hygiene and food safety.

They are available to provide advice on food hygiene and food safety, and to provide assistance wherever possible.

Proprietors are required to receive approval from our Health Services prior to undertaking refurbishments or minor works, to ensure that the proposed work complies with the food legislation.

We have included a fact sheet below about food safety advice relating to coronavirus (COVID-19). More information and resources are available on our COVID-19 news and updates page.

Buying an established food premises

If you intend to purchase an established food premises, you must apply for a new Certificate of Registration. The Certificate of Registration is not valid once the proprietor has left the premises, and an application for a new Certificate of Registration must be made so that the new proprietor’s details can be displayed.

In addition to your Certificate of Registration, a food premises notification form must also be submitted. This is to inform us of the types of foods that the business will sell and if there are any changes to the menu, to ensure the risk rating on the certificate of registration is accurate.

Alfresco dining

Alfresco dining adds vibrancy to the street, provides an alternative for patrons and encourages customers to the area. When operating an alfresco area, the following needs to be considered:

• Flooring must be scrubbed on a routine basis to remove all grease, food residue and stains.
• All structures must be secured to withstand strong wind conditions, and must not obstruct pedestrian access through the area.
• The area must be kept clean at all times, and must be included in your cleaning schedule
• Rubbish can attract birds and pests, and discourage customers. Monitoring and removal of rubbish in the alfresco area must be done routinely throughout the day.
• Smoking is not permitted in any alfresco dining area.
• If your alfresco area is located on City land, you must have a current Alfresco Dining Permit from us before using the area.

Running a food business from home

Approval is required to prepare food from your home for sale to the public. An authorised officer will assess your application to determine if your kitchen is suitable for the preparation of food for sale. Only some types of low risk food may be prepared in a domestic kitchen for sale to the public.

Other food may be considered for approval following a written application to the City of Rockingham. In some instances, if the production of a food product is considered of high risk and/or large scale, you may be required to provide a separate commercial kitchen.

In addition to health approval, an application for a home occupation may be required prior to starting a business. It is suggested that you contact us to find out if you also need planning approval for a home occupation.

FoodSafe Training Pack

FoodSafe Training Pack is an in-house training program developed by the Australian Institute of Environmental Health to help businesses meet its food safety requirements by documenting cleaning and pest control, monitoring temperatures of food, and recording and monitoring deliveries. The program has recently upgraded to better reflect current standard and provide a clear guide for food allergens.

The training package contains a video, workbook with questionnaires, and an ongoing proprietor workbook (on USB). For more information or to obtain a FoodSafe Package, please contact us on 9528 0333 or email customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au.