Wodonga Council — Temporary food premises

In Victoria, there is a state-wide registration and notification scheme for temporary and mobile food premises which applies under the Food Act 1984. Under the state-wide system, one council will be primarily responsible for approving your food handling operations. It is known as your “principal council”.

Your principal council is the council:

In which your business prepares or stores food that is to be sold from a van, stall, or vending machine;
If food is not usually prepared or stored beforehand by your business - the district in which you usually store the equipment for a stall, or garage your food van or water transport vehicle;
If none of the above apply - the district in which your usual business address is located; or
If none of the above are in Victoria - the district in which the food van, water transport vehicle, stall or vending machines will first operate in Victoria.

Depending on your food handling activities (as determined by your class classification), if you operate a food van, food stall, food vending machine/s or a drinking water carting business you will only need to register with, or notify, your principal council and submit a statement of trade (SOT) to each council area that you will trade in.

To determine what class of food premises will apply based on your level of risk, please visit the Business Classification Tool.

Man buying food hot dogs from street vendor

Food premises type	Requirements
Class 2 and Class 3	Apply for Food Act registration with your principal council.
Class 4	Submit a one-off notification form to your principal council.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are giving the food away for free, you will NOT need a permit.

Online registrations are the preferred method through the state-wide online system, Foodtrader, developed by the Department of Health and Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) for use by all Victorian councils. You can read more about Foodtrader in their help document. There is now no need to fill out paperwork for multiple councils where you operate.

How to apply for online registration/notification through Foodtrader:

Go to foodtrader.vic.gov.au;
Create your login (unless you already have one, in which case you simply fill in your username and password);
Once your login details are complete you will automatically enter the Foodtrader website; and
Now you are ready to complete your forms online. Foodtrader will guide you through the process until your ready to hit the lodge button.

Descriptions of different types of mobile/temporary food premises are listed below:

Temporary food premises

Temporary food premises are temporary stalls or tents from which food is sold, such as at a market or festival.

It can be any structure that is not permanently fixed to a site.

More information is available from the Department of Health's fact sheet.

Community groups

A community group must meet ALL of the below requirements:

Does not operate for the profit or gain (either direct or indirect) of individual members. Any profit made goes back into the organisation and is not distributed to any of its members;
Raises funds for charitable purposes or provides a service to the community;
Only operates for two consecutive days or less at any one event; and
The majority of persons involved in the handling of the food are volunteers.

To learn more about food safety, complete the Department of Health's food safety course by clicking here.

Mobile food premises

Mobile food premises are vehicles such as vans, trailers or carts from which food is sold.

More information is available from the Department of Health's fact sheet.

Water transport vehicle

A water transport vehicle is operated by a private business and involves the delivery of water for sale to the public which is intended for:

Human consumption; or
Purposes connected with human consumption (such as preparation of food, making ice for consumption or preserving unpackaged food).

More information is available from the Department of Health's fact sheet.

Food vending machine

A food vending machine is a machine from which there is an automated sale of food without any attention or intervention by the seller at the time of sale.

More information is available from the Department of Health's fact sheet.

Statement of trade

Once registered – or notified – under the statewide system, statement of trade (SOTs) forms are to be lodged with your principal council and relevant council in which you are operating, at least five days before the event.

PLEASE NOTE: It is a legal requirement that all SOT forms MUST be submitted to your principal council (or relevant council) at least five working days prior to the event. You must display your current valid registration certificate at the event.