This guide has been prepared to provide advice and support for anyone establishing or modifying a food premises within Nillumbik. Its core principle is that all food should be prepared and/or stored in a facility designed to minimise the risk of contamination and to promote safe food handling practices.
The guide is aligned with the FSANZ Food Safety Standard 3.2.3, which became mandatory in Australia in February 2001. Copies of these standards are available from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website or by calling 02 6271 2222.
Existing premises are expected to make reasonable progress toward upgrading their facilities to meet these standards.
Starting a new food business in Nillumbik may require permits, licences, or registrations from various Council departments or other organisations. Refer to our contact list.
This guide is provided for information and it does not purport to be complete. While care has been taken to ensure the content in the report is accurate, we cannot guarantee it is without flaw of any kind. There may be errors and omissions or it may not be wholly appropriate for your particular purposes. In addition, the guide is a snapshot in time based on historic information which is liable to change. Nillumbik Shire Council accepts no responsibility and disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information contained in this report.
Under the Food Act 1984, all businesses that handle, prepare, package, store, serve, supply, or repackage food must be registered with their local council. Below is the registration process for food premises in Nillumbik.
1. Submit your floor plans
We strongly recommend submitting your detailed floor plans before constructing or altering a food premises. This ensures your plans meet the legal requirements and can help you avoid costly changes and delays.
Complete and lodge the New Food Premises Assessment Form along with your plans.
Your floor plans should:
- be professionally drawn, to a scale of at least 1:50
- show proposed finishes for floors, walls, and ceilings
- indicate the location of all fixtures and fittings, including hand basins, sinks, toilets, on-site bin storage, and other equipment.
Our Environmental Health team will assess your plans within 15 working days and provide feedback.
2. Final onsite inspection
At the final inspection, the Environmental Health Officer will confirm that your premises meet the specifications outlined in this guide and the approved plans.
You will also need to provide copies of your Food Safety Program and Food Safety Supervisor Certificate at this stage for Class 1, 2 and 3A businesses.
3. Certificate for registration
After an inspection has taken place, Council’s Environmental Health Officer will formalise a report and register the business for trade.
Once the business has been registered for trade you will receive a Certificate of Registration for a Food Business which can be displayed in your premises.
Note: Contact Environmental Health Services before altering the onsite waste water system.
Design and layout
Your food premises must be designed and constructed to suit the specific food activities being undertaken. A thoughtful and efficient design helps streamline work practices, reduces the need for excessive cleaning and maintenance, and minimises the risk of cross contamination.
To ensure food safety, the layout should promote a clear, one-way flow of food moving logically from receiving and storage, through to preparation, packaging, serving, and finally disposal without unnecessary backtracking.
There must also be adequate space allocated for storing dry goods, fresh produce, cutlery, crockery, cooking utensils, personal belongings, and cleaning chemicals. All areas used for food preparation, as well as cool rooms, freezer rooms, and dry storage spaces, should be large enough to prevent overcrowding and allow staff to work safely and efficiently.
Floors
To ensure effective cleaning, floors in kitchens and wash-up areas should be smooth, seamless, and free from cracks or crevices. They must also be resistant to hot water, steam, and cleaning chemicals. The flooring material must be durable enough to withstand the demands of the operation - for example, floors beneath cooking appliances must be able to tolerate high temperatures without damage.
Suitable flooring options include glazed tiles with flush epoxy grouting, sheet vinyl, and epoxy resin. Timber floors are not permitted.
Carpets and other absorbent materials that cannot be thoroughly cleaned are unsuitable for any food preparation, storage or wet areas.
This floor finishes table can help you decide which flooring is most suitable for your business.
Food Development Guide - Suitable Floor Finishes(PDF, 122KB)
Walls and ceilings
Walls and ceilings in food preparation areas must be smooth, sealed and easy to clean. Walls should be finished with impervious materials such as ceramic tiles, vinyl sheeting, stainless steel, or sealed concrete, while plasterboard is only acceptable if properly covered in areas exposed to splashes or food contact. In dry goods storage areas, painted blockwork or brickwork with sealed joints may be suitable. Ceilings should be continuous, painted with washable paint, and free of gaps, with rough or drop-in panel finishes avoided to maintain hygiene and prevent contamination.
The wall finishes table lists the suitable options for common wall finishes based on location.
Food Development Guide - Suitable Wall Finishes(PDF, 120KB)
Ventilation
Mechanical exhaust systems are required for most cooking and washing equipment that generates heat, smoke, steam, or fumes such as stoves, ovens, deep fryers, rotisseries and dishwashers. These systems must be installed in accordance with Australian Standard 1668.2 Mechanical ventilation for acceptable indoor-air quality.
An exhaust hood is typically required when any single piece of equipment exceeds 8kW electrical power or 29 MJ/h gas input, when multiple appliances combined exceed 0.5kW per square metre, or when dishwashers produce significant steam that could cause condensation. It is also essential to provide adequate make-up air (replacement air) to balance the air removed by the exhaust, as insufficient make-up air can create a vacuum effect, leading to doors slamming, draughts, or fumes entering unwanted areas.
Flues and vents must be carefully positioned to prevent odours, smoke, or other emissions from affecting neighbouring properties or public spaces.
Lighting
Food premises must have sufficient natural or artificial lighting to allow staff to clean effectively, identify pests, and safely handle food. Lighting should meet Australian Standard 1680 recommendations, with minimum levels of 110-150 lux in storage areas, 200-300 lux in general areas, and 500 lux at preparation surfaces. Fixtures must be dust-resistant and fitted with unbreakable or shatterproof covers.
Cold and frozen storage
You will need refrigerators to store all perishable foods at or below 5°C. Freezers must be able to keep food frozen (usually below -15ºC) to maintain product quality and shelf life. Wheels or castors should be fitted to chest freezers and upright refrigerators to allow for easy cleaning underneath. Cool rooms and freezer rooms must have adequate shelving and must have an external thermometer gauge. You must not store food at ground level.
Cooking equipment
Cooking equipment should either be easily movable, butted against walls or other equipment, have their joints sealed, or placed at least 150mm from walls.
Self-serve hot or cold display
Self-serve units should have a protective sneeze guard to act as a physical barrier between the customers’ breath and the food. You will need to provide serving utensils such as tongs, serving spoons or forks.
The number and size of sinks required depends on the type and quantity of food being prepared, the number of staff and whether you have a dishwasher for sanitising equipment. You must be able to easily carry out all washing and cleaning without posing a risk to food safety. All sinks and hand basins should be permanent fixtures, connected to a continuous supply of hot and cold potable water and drained to sewer.
Hand washing facilities
- Located where they can be easily accessed by food handlers
- Provided within food preparation areas
- Provided immediately adjacent to the toilets
- Designated for the sole purpose of washing hands, arms and face
- Supplied with soap and paper towels
- Supplied with warm running potable water
Sink for washing equipment
Food businesses must have a double or triple bowl sink or a single bowl sink and dishwasher for washing and sanitising equipment. The sink(s) need to be large enough to fit the largest piece of equipment that will be washed.
Grease trap
Grease traps or arrestors should be located outside the food preparation area. Your local water authority can provide further information on grease traps. Refer to our contact list.
Bars
Bars require a glass washer and a rinsing sink in addition to a separate hand basin. If fresh fruit is frequently used for drinks, such as cocktails, then access to a food preparation sink is also required.
Cleaner’s sink
All types of food premises will need an onsite cleaner’s sink. This is used solely for floor cleaning activities and disposing of dirty water.
Sink for food preparation
A separate food preparation sink is required where food handling involves washing fruit, vegetables, fish or other food items.
Waste management and bin storage
All bins and waste containers must be stored inside your property. When deciding where to store bins, consider your premise's design and layout to prevent cross contamination. The onsite bin storage location must be indicated on the floor plans you submit. Bins may only be placed outside on public property the evening before a scheduled collection. You will need to engage an independent commercial waste company to collect and dispose of all waste. The details of the proposed commercial waste collection service must be provided to a Nillumbik Shire Council Environmental Health Officer before your business can operate. Note that Nillumbik Shire Council have a local law that identifies allowed times for collection.
The garbage should be graded and drained to Yarra Valley Water sewer and bunded (eg shower bases are suitable for small rubbish bins). Yarra Valley Water requires that a silt trap be installed in the drain. Hot and cold water with hose connection shall be provided inside or adjacent to the garbage storage area. This will enable the bins and the garbage storage areas to be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition and prevent garbage storage from becoming a nuisance.
Personal belongings storage
To prevent the contamination of food, you will need to provide a separate room or locker for storing clothing, footwear and other personal belongings. If storage outside a food preparation area is not possible, provide a designated enclosed cupboard
Pest control
Pests include birds, rodents and insects.
Your food premises must be constructed and designed to prevent the entry of pests by ensuring:
- screens are fitted to doors and openings
- self-closing doors, fly strips or air curtains are fitted to all door entries
- all holes are sealed, including gaps to all floors, walls, ceilings and service pipes where they pass through floors, walls and ceilings.
Chemical equipment storage
You must also provide a cleaner’s cupboard or other clearly designated storage space for storing mops, cleaning chemicals and cleaning equipment. Chemicals and cleaning equipment must be stored separately to food items and food contact surfaces.
Toilet facilities
All toilet facilities must be provided with hand basins that supply warm running water and suitable hand-drying facilities. Toilets should not be entered directly from a food preparation area, but through an air lock. An air lock is a buffer zone between a food area and the toilet that stops contaminated air entering a kitchen. Your toilet facilities must be kept clean and operating properly whether onsite or offsite.
Water supply, sewage and waste water disposal
You must supply a potable water source with adequate volume, pressure and temperature. You will need a hot water system with sufficient capacity for peak operating times for cleaning and sanitising the food premises and equipment. Your premises must have an effective sewage and waste water disposal system for all sewage and waste liquid produced by the business.
Nillumbik Shire Council
Environmental Health
Phone 9433 3340
Email health.services@nillumbik.vic.gov.au
Planning
Phone 9433 3343
Email nillumbik@nillumbik.vic.gov.au
Building and construction
Phone 9433 3243
Email building.admin@nillumbik.vic.gov.au
Grease traps
Yarra Valley Water
Phone 1300 771 865
Email commercialcustomercare@yvw.com.au
Liquor licence
Liquor Control Victoria
Phone 1300 182 457
Liquor licensing website
Building surveyors, builders and plumbers
Victorian Building Authority (VBA)
Phone 1300 815 127
VBA website