Food and beverage industry regulations and compliance

Food safety regulations apply to each stage of food and beverage production, from processing and manufacture to distribution.

If you are considering starting a business in the food and beverage industry, make sure you are aware of the food safety regulations. You need to understand how your business can meet your obligations and comply with these regulations, or you may face fines or prosecutions.

Food safety regulations

Food safety standards outlined by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) apply to every business involved in the handling of food for sale, or the sale of food, in Australia. The only exception is businesses involved solely in primary production that do not process their products or sell them directly to the public.

Queensland Health has overall responsibility for food safety in Queensland, including food safety for restaurants and food retailers, and issues with food labelling and food tampering issues.

Safe Food Production Queensland manages the operational aspects of food safety through industry-based food safety schemes for meat, dairy products, seafood and eggs.

As a food and beverage business owner, you must be familiar with:

• Queensland food safety legislation, including the Food Act 2006, the Food Regulation 2006, the Food Production (Safety) Act 2000 and the Food Production (Safety) Regulation 2014.
• food safety regulations from your local government, including training requirements and ratings systems
• liquor licensing, which applies to businesses selling or supplying liquor
• Australian wine laws, which apply to wine producers and distributers.

You can get more information on food safety in Queensland from:

• Department of Agriculture and Water Resources - provides import and export inspection and certification to help Australia keep its highly favourable animal, plant and human health status, and wide access to overseas export markets
• JAS-ANZ - provides accreditation and certification for food safety systems in Australia and New Zealand.

Food safety compliance

Producing safe food is essential to your business's success, as your customers will expect that your food products are safe. You must be able to verify the safety and quality of your products to export markets and other businesses that you supply your products to, such as manufacturers, retailers and fast food franchises.

Read more about food safety requirements and find fact sheets and resources for food businesses.