Food Safety Records in New Zealand: Laws and Verification

New Zealand food safety records explained: the Food Act 2014, Food Control Plans, verification, record keeping, allergens and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in New Zealand need food safety records? Yes. Under the Food Act 2014, restaurants, cafés, takeaways and caterers run a written Food Control Plan, and the plan requires records. Records must be kept for at least 4 years. Your council, or a verifier recognised by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), checks your plan and your records. New Zealand has no national hygiene grade, but some councils run their own, such as Auckland's A to E "eatsafe" grades. The law does not require paper: the official template says you can keep your plan as a PDF or web page. This page explains the rules, what verifiers look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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Every fact below comes from an official source, linked in the text and at the end. Where we could not confirm something on an official page, we say so and suggest you ask your council or MPI. Chef Hygiene keeps your daily records. It does not register or verify your plan, and it is not approved by MPI or any council.

The law: what every New Zealand food business must do
Who checks you, and how often
No national grade, but some council grades
The records verifiers ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in New Zealand
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

1. The law: what every New Zealand food business must do

The main laws. The Food Act 2014 and the Food Regulations 2015. The Act is risk-based. Higher-risk businesses use a Food Control Plan. Medium and lower-risk businesses use a National Programme.
Food Control Plan (FCP). Restaurants, cafés, takeaways, caterers, and bakeries that make cakes, pies or pastries run a written FCP (Food Act 2014, Schedule 1). Most use MPI's free "Simply Safe & Suitable" template (MPI template). Larger or special businesses can write a custom plan based on HACCP, which MPI evaluates and registers.
National Programme (NP). Bread-only bakeries and shops that only sell packaged food follow a National Programme (Schedules 2 and 3). MPI's "My food rules" tool tells each business which one applies (MPI: National Programmes).
Register your plan. An operator who must use an FCP must register the plan with the registration authority (Food Act 2014, section 48). You register with your local council. If you trade in more than one council district, you register with MPI. A template FCP is registered for 12 months and renewed every year. National Programmes are renewed every 2 years. Not registering can bring an infringement fee.
Temperatures. These come from MPI's template Food Control Plan:
Chilled food: 5°C or colder, checked every day with a calibrated thermometer, probe, infrared or automated system, not the fridge's own display. There is no lower limit.
Frozen food: kept frozen solid. The template names no freezer temperature, and you do not have to write freezer temperatures down.
Cooking: poultry, minced meat and liver reach 65°C for 15 minutes, 70°C for 3 minutes or 75°C for 30 seconds in the thickest part. Other food is cooked thoroughly. Record one item per batch, or prove the method (3 good checks in a row, then one batch a week).
Hot holding: above 60°C, checked every 2 hours if held longer than 2 hours. Below 60°C, reheat it to above 75°C.
Cooling: from 60°C to 21°C (or room temperature, whichever is colder) within 2 hours, then to 5°C within 4 more hours. Over 6 hours in all, throw it out.
Reheating: at least 75°C.
Between 5°C and 60°C: under 2 hours, chill or use it; 2 to 4 hours, use it but never chill it; over 4 hours, throw it out.
Deliveries in: chilled at 5°C or colder, hot above 60°C, frozen frozen solid.
Staff training. There is no national food handler card and no required course. Your plan asks you to train staff until they are competent and to keep a training record: who, when, which parts of the plan, signed by the trainer and the trainee.
Staff who are ill. Staff with vomiting, diarrhoea or jaundice tell the manager and stay away from food until 48 hours after the symptoms stop (MPI template).
Cleaning and pests. Food contact surfaces are cleaned every day they are used. Pests are checked inside, outside and around the bins every day, by you or a pest company. Anything that goes wrong is written down with what you did.
Allergens. New Zealand uses the joint Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) has been in force since 25 February 2024. It names wheat and cereals with gluten, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, egg, milk, lupin, peanut, soy, sesame, added sulphites of 10 mg/kg or more, and each tree nut by name (almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, pine nut, walnut). For food sold unpackaged, the information is shown with the food or given when a customer asks (FSANZ: allergen labelling). We could not confirm official rules for delivery orders, so ask MPI.
Fines. Infringement fees are $300, $450 (for example, not registering your plan or programme) or $650, capped at $1,000 by the Act. In court, knowingly or recklessly endangering people can bring a fine of up to $500,000 for a company, and up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for a person (Food Act 2014, section 222).

2. Who checks you, and how often

Council and MPI. The council is the registration authority for a business in one district. MPI is the registration authority for a business in more than one. Food safety officers, from the council or MPI, enforce the Act.
Verification. The council, or a private verifier MPI recognises, checks ("verifies") your plan. You pay for it.
How often. A new template FCP business is first verified within 6 weeks. After that, verification is every 3 to 18 months, on a scale of 3, 6, 9, 12 or 18 months. An acceptable visit means a longer gap, and an unacceptable one a shorter gap (Food Regulations 2015, regulations 88 and 90).
National Programmes. These are verified at least every 2 years (National Programme 3) or every 3 years (National Programme 2).
Records. Give your records to your verifier when asked (Food Regulations 2015, regulations 36, 37, 81 and 82).

3. No national grade, but some council grades

No national grade. We found no national hygiene grade in the Act.
Auckland. Auckland Council runs "eatsafe Auckland" for template-plan businesses it registers and verifies: A (91 to 100%), B (61 to 90%), C (50 to 60%), D (enforcement action) and E (closed) (Auckland Council: food grades).
Other councils. We did not check other councils' schemes. Ask your council.
What this means for you. If you are in Auckland, your grade depends on your verification. Good records help show your plan works every day.

4. The records verifiers ask for

Records must be legible, accurate, dated and show what was done, when and by whom. They must be kept for at least 4 years after they are made. The template points to records like these:

Daily fridge checks, with the food at 5°C or colder.
Cooking records, one item a batch or proving the method.
Cooling and reheating records.
Hot holding checks every 2 hours when food is held longer than 2 hours.
Delivery checks.
Cleaning records, and records of pest checks and of anything that went wrong with what you did.
Staff sickness reports.
Training records: who, when, which parts of the plan, signed by trainer and trainee.
The plan itself, registered with your council or MPI.

How long to keep them. At least 4 years after the date the record is created (Food Regulations 2015, regulation 36 for FCPs and regulation 81 for National Programmes).

5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Days with no fridge checks written down.
Not registering. Failing to register a plan or programme can bring a $450 infringement fee.
No action recorded. A reading above 5°C with nothing written about what was done.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Records too old to find. The 4-year rule is easy to forget with paper folders.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but the signed record is missing.
Using the fridge display. The template asks for a calibrated thermometer, probe or automated system.
Allergens only by word of mouth. The Code allows the information to be given when a customer asks, but it must be correct, so staff need an up-to-date allergen record.

6. By type of business

The rules depend on whether your business runs an FCP or a National Programme. MPI's "My food rules" tool tells you which.

Restaurant: a Food Control Plan. Daily fridge checks, cooking, hot holding, cooling and reheating records, cleaning, pests and training.
Takeaway: a Food Control Plan, with the same records as a restaurant.
Café: a Food Control Plan. Fridge and display checks, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches and salads.
Bakery: bakeries that make cakes, pies or pastries use a Food Control Plan. Bread-only bakeries follow a National Programme.
Dessert shop: a Food Control Plan is the usual route for food made and served on site. Check with MPI's tool.
Pub / bar / club: if you serve food, the food service rules apply. We could not confirm the exact plan type for every case, so check "My food rules" or ask your council.
Community hall / venue: we could not confirm the position on an official MPI page. Ask your council.
Corner shop / grocery: shops that only sell packaged food follow a National Programme.
School / nursery kitchen: a council page says the Act applies to school canteens (Masterton District Council). Ask your council about your plan type.
Caterer / food van: caterers are a Schedule 1 Food Control Plan sector. MPI says mobile and single-location businesses generally register with council, but we could not read that page in full, so ask your council.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm MPI's position, because its pages did not load for us. Ask your council or MPI before you start.

7. Why digital records help in New Zealand

Allowed by the template. MPI's template says you can keep the plan as a PDF or web page. It names data loggers and Bluetooth temperature monitoring as ways to check temperatures. There is no government records app, and the records must be legible, accurate and dated.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day, not at the next verification.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record can ask what you did about it.
Four years, easily. Nothing is lost, wet, greasy or missing.
Ready for the verifier. You can show everything at once.
Every staff member can take part. Staff record checks on a phone or tablet, in their own language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows MPI's template Food Control Plan for the temperatures and checks it asks for. What it does:

Daily checks for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling, cleaning and deliveries, with the time, the staff member's name and photos. Saved records cannot be changed; corrections are added as new records.
Your country's rules built in, such as the template's temperatures for chilled food, cooking, hot holding and cooling.
Food safety plan. About 20 minutes: answer questions, check each method, sign it, set a review date and print it. Earlier versions are kept.
Ready for inspection? Checks your last 4 weeks of records the way an inspector would and shows how many are ready.
Inspector's visits log. Write down each visit: date, type and officer.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with questions for your type of business and a "Put it right" list, showing the likely result in your country's own scheme.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for food prepacked for direct sale.
Staff training records.
Inspector pack. Print all your records as one pack, or share them by secure link.
40 languages. Staff can use the app in their own language.

9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs NZ$2.99 a month per site (NZ$1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops); the exact price is shown in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

We keep the price low on purpose. We want as many food businesses as possible, from a single food van to a busy restaurant, to keep good records and pass inspections.

10. Less paper

A paper diary means printed sheets every day. One daily sheet per kitchen is 365 sheets a year, before you count delivery forms, cleaning rotas and training records. With a 4-year keeping rule, that is a lot of folders. Digital records mean no record books to buy and fewer printed forms to throw away.

Language. The app works in English in New Zealand, and in 40 languages for your staff.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in New Zealand?

Yes, if you run a Food Control Plan or a National Programme. Records must be legible, accurate, dated, and kept for at least 4 years.

Who inspects restaurants in New Zealand?

The council, or a verifier recognised by MPI, verifies your plan. Food safety officers from the council or MPI enforce the Act.

Do I have to register my plan?

Yes. An operator who must use an FCP must register it (Food Act 2014, section 48). Register with your council, or with MPI if you trade in more than one district.

How long is a Food Control Plan registered?

A template FCP is registered for 12 months and renewed every year. National Programmes are renewed every 2 years.

How often am I verified?

A new business is first verified within 6 weeks, then every 3 to 18 months. National Programmes are verified at least every 2 or 3 years.

Is there a hygiene grade in New Zealand?

No national grade. Some councils run their own. Auckland grades A to E.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

Yes. MPI's template says you can use a PDF or web page version, and names data loggers and Bluetooth monitoring for temperatures.

How long must I keep my records?

At least 4 years after they are made.

What temperature must my fridge be?

Chilled food at 5°C or colder, checked every day with a calibrated thermometer. There is no lower limit.

Do I have to record freezer temperatures?

No. The template says to check food is still frozen, and you do not have to record the temperature.

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

Above 60°C. Check every 2 hours if held longer than 2 hours.

What temperature should I cook food to?

For poultry, minced meat and liver: 65°C for 15 minutes, 70°C for 3 minutes or 75°C for 30 seconds. Other food is cooked thoroughly.

How fast must I cool cooked food?

From 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, then to 5°C within 4 more hours.

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

No. There is no national card. You train staff until they are competent and keep a training record.

Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with vomiting, diarrhoea or jaundice. They stay away until 48 hours after the symptoms stop.

What allergen information do I need for loose food?

The information is shown with the food or given when a customer asks, using the Code's allergen list (PEAL).

How big are the fines?

Infringement fees are $300, $450 or $650, capped at $1,000. In court, a company can be fined up to $500,000 for knowingly or recklessly endangering people.

Do I need a plan for a food van, a home business or a pub?

We could not confirm every case on an official page. Use MPI's "My food rules" tool or ask your council.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in New Zealand?

NZ$2.99 a month per site (NZ$1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops); the exact price is shown in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

12. Official sources

Chef Hygiene keeps your New Zealand food safety records ready for every verification: