Commercial Kitchen Requirements NZ: A Setup Checklist Before You Register

Commercial kitchen requirements in NZ depend on what food you make, how you process it and how the business operates. A café preparing meals, a home-based food business and a manufacturer may need different food safety measures, even when their kitchens look similar.

Before signing a lease or buying equipment, confirm your regulatory pathway and whether the premises can support your proposed menu, processes and production volume. This checklist focuses on Food Act businesses and uses MPI guidance to separate food safety requirements from practical fit-out choices and council approvals.

Start with your food activities, not the kitchen label

Use MPI’s My Food Rules guidance to identify the rules for your actual activities. A Food Control Plan (FCP) sets out how you manage food safety risks. A National Programme (NP) applies requirements appropriate to the activities covered by that programme. The premises being domestic or commercial does not, by itself, decide which one applies.

MPI’s Simply Safe & Suitable template Food Control Plan covers eligible food service and food retail activities. A custom FCP may be needed where a template does not cover the business. Some animal product activities fall under the Animal Products Act and may require a Risk Management Programme (RMP). Do not classify an activity solely because meat, dairy or another animal product is present in the kitchen.

Confirm the scope before designing the premises. Our guide to Food Control Plans and National Programmes explains the distinction, but MPI’s activity-based assessment should guide the decision for your business.

Questions to resolve before a lease or fit-out

AFVA recommends checking these practical questions before committing to premises. This is a preparation checklist, not a new statutory application form or a promise that a site will be approved.

Commercial kitchen requirements NZ: the setup checklist

The Food Regulations 2015 include performance-based national requirements for premises, facilities, equipment and water. The FCP provisions and National Programme provisions have their own scope. Read them with the applicable plan or programme; one programme’s detailed procedure is not automatically the rule for every food business.

For businesses using MPI’s Simply Safe & Suitable Food Control Plan, the “Managing places and equipment” card explains the premises controls. Use the following checks with the cards that apply to your operation; a current template update does not mean every existing operator must adopt every new card.

1. Plan the layout around safe food flow

• Allow enough space for the number of people, equipment and food being handled at busy times.
• Keep raw food and its juices away from ready-to-eat food. Plan receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling, packing and dispatch so one activity does not contaminate another.
• Provide access for cleaning and maintenance, including around and beneath equipment.
• For Simply Safe & Suitable, prepare the required internal layout and external map. Include relevant surrounding activities and, where applicable, self-supply water locations.

A workflow sketch can show a problem before construction starts. For example, if raw chicken deliveries must pass through the sandwich assembly area, review the route, timing and controls before finalising the layout.

Separate spaces and equipment can help manage raw/ready-to-eat food and allergens. Depending on the actual plan and activity, controlled timing with appropriate cleaning and sanitising between uses can also be part of the arrangement. A separate room for every task is not a universal requirement, and colour-coded equipment alone does not establish that contamination is controlled.

2. Choose surfaces that suit the activity

Food processing and storage areas must be able to be cleaned effectively, and sanitised where appropriate. Materials must not contaminate food. Choose finishes that remain sound under the water, grease, chemicals and wear expected in that area.

Smooth, durable, readily cleanable finishes are practical choices for many kitchens. However, do not treat one floor product, stainless steel throughout, or coving at every junction as a universal MPI specification. Confirm the finish and junction details against the food activities, applicable controls and any relevant building requirements.

3. Make handwashing and cleaning workable

Under Simply Safe & Suitable, handwashing facilities must be close to food handling areas. Keep the handwashing sink clean and supplied with soap and a suitable way to dry hands. The plan lists paper towels, single-use cloths or an air dryer. Staff must be able to wash their hands when needed.

Plan how you will wash food, clean equipment and dispose of dirty cleaning water without contaminating food or handwashing facilities. The appropriate number and arrangement of sinks depends on those activities and the requirements applying to the premises. Do not assume that a single national sink count answers every kitchen’s needs.

Include hygienic access to toilets and personal hygiene facilities in the layout review. Staff and relevant visitors need to reach the facilities without creating a contamination route through food handling. Ask the council or building professional to confirm any applicable requirements for their type, number and location; this guide does not prescribe a national toilet count.

4. Confirm the water supply and drainage

Provide enough water that is safe and suitable for food handling, personal hygiene and cleaning. Part 2 of the MPI Food Notice: Requirements for Food Control Plans and National Programmes covers water for both FCP and NP businesses. It includes protecting water from contamination and having hot water available where necessary for cleaning and personal hygiene.

If you use a bore, tank or another self-supply, check the applicable assessment, testing, treatment, maintenance and record requirements before using it. Review the water distribution and storage system as well as the source. Plan drainage and wastewater disposal so they cannot contaminate food or the water supply. Ask the relevant wastewater authority whether your operation needs trade waste approval or pre-treatment such as a grease trap.

5. Provide suitable lighting and ventilation

Provide enough light to work hygienically, check food and clean effectively. Manage the risk of broken light fittings contaminating food. Ventilation must suit the work and control problems such as fumes, steam and condensation. These are food safety considerations, even where the requirements do not prescribe one numerical lighting level or one ventilation system for every business.

Heavy cooking can need a different ventilation solution from packing dry products. Confirm the system with the relevant building professionals and council before installation; a domestic fan or an expensive canopy is not automatically the right answer for every process.

6. Organise storage, waste and pest protection

• Provide enough dry, chilled and frozen storage for the expected stock and production volume.
• Protect ready-to-eat food from raw food, dirty packaging and other contamination. Organise and identify ingredients so allergen controls can work.
• Keep cleaning chemicals and other non-food substances from contaminating food.
• Limit pest entry and remove places where pests can live. Keep waste contained and arrange removal without contaminating preparation areas.
• Provide suitable storage for utensils, clean equipment and staff belongings so they do not interfere with food handling.

7. Check equipment capacity and measurement

Equipment must suit the process, be maintainable and allow effective cleaning. Check capacity under the conditions you expect at your busiest time. A refrigerator that holds a small delivery safely may struggle when loaded with large batches of cooling food.

Provide an accurate thermometer and follow the checking or calibration requirements in your plan or programme. A display on a refrigerator does not, by itself, establish the temperature of the food inside it.

Match temperature controls to your plan and equipment

The following examples come from MPI’s Simply Safe & Suitable template FCP. They help you assess equipment and workflow; they are not a substitute for the relevant cards, their exceptions or corrective actions. If you operate under a National Programme, use the applicable NP requirements. Part 4 of the Food Notice applies specifically to National Programme operators.

For chilled food kept outside safe temperature control, count the cumulative time in the 5°C–60°C danger zone under Simply Safe & Suitable’s 2-hour/4-hour rule. Food in the 2-to-4-hour band cannot be put back into chilled storage for later use; food kept in the danger zone for more than 4 hours must be thrown out. Follow the separate cooling card for freshly cooked food. Use the plan’s full instructions and corrective actions rather than treating four hours as an allowance to repeatedly remove and rechill food.

Keep premises approvals separate from food registration

Ask the relevant council teams about the proposed use, any building or plumbing work, ventilation and wastewater discharge before work starts. MBIE’s guide to checking building and resource consents explains why the work and its applicable exemptions need to be assessed, rather than assuming that all fit-outs need the same approvals.

A statutory change of use has a specific meaning; a new business or a home food activity is not automatically one. Where it applies, council notification and written confirmation are distinct from whether the associated building work needs consent. Use MBIE’s change-of-use guidance with the owner and council to resolve the actual proposal.

For a local example, Hutt City Council’s home-kitchen guidance directs applicants to planning, building/plumbing and trade waste advice. Other councils or wastewater authorities may have different processes. Food registration or a favourable food verification result does not replace any separate approval required for the premises.

Can you use a home kitchen or shared commercial kitchen?

A home kitchen can be suitable for some food businesses. Its acceptability depends on the activities, volume, facilities and controls, as well as any relevant council requirements. A home-based operator may need an FCP or an NP; “home kitchen” is not a National Programme category.

Explain how you will separate business food and equipment from household use, prevent interference from pets and visitors, manage illness in the household, and clean between activities. Hutt City Council’s domestic-kitchen guidance is a local example of the questions an authority may ask. Read our home-based food business guide for that separate operating context, then confirm the arrangements with your own council.

For a shared kitchen, confirm whose registered plan or programme covers which operators and activities. Do not assume the building owner’s or another tenant’s registration automatically covers your business. Depending on the lawful arrangement, a registered FCP can apply to more than one business; the operator’s authority, control and each business’s agreement matter. Confirm the actual coverage with the registration authority rather than assuming every hirer has identical registration arrangements.

Agree who handles cleaning, pest control, equipment maintenance, temperature checks, storage, allergen management and records. The shared-kitchen food safety records guide provides the narrower handover and responsibility checks. A hire agreement helps organise the work but does not itself establish registration coverage.

What to prepare before you register

1. Define the business scope. List products, ingredients, processing steps, intended customers, sales channels and expected volume. Include delivery, off-site catering or other activities you intend to carry out.
2. Confirm the food safety measure. Use MPI’s guidance and resolve uncertainty with MPI or the registration authority before committing to the fit-out.
3. Check premises approvals. Ask the council about the proposed use, building or plumbing work, ventilation and trade waste. Food registration does not replace these checks.
4. Prepare the applicable plan and evidence. Complete the relevant FCP sections or prepare to meet NP requirements. Have a site layout, staff responsibilities, cleaning arrangements, supplier information, temperature controls and other relevant records ready.
5. Arrange the verifier where required. MPI says National Programme and custom FCP applicants must arrange a verifier and provide the required confirmation before registration. Confirm the verification arrangements for a template FCP with your registration authority.
6. Apply to the correct authority. Many single-council-area template FCP and NP businesses register with their local council. Custom FCPs register with MPI. Multi-site arrangements need a separate check of the available registration options.

Use MPI’s food business registration guidance for the correct application route and documents. Our food business registration guide provides further context. Registration and verification are different steps: the verifier checks how the business actually manages food safety, including practice and records.

Common setup mistakes to correct early

• Choosing the fit-out before the menu and process. Define the work first, then assess space, storage, water and equipment capacity.
• Treating every design preference as an MPI rule. Identify whether the requirement comes from your food safety measure, national law, council requirements or a practical design recommendation.
• Assuming new equipment proves compliance. Check food temperatures, cleaning access and performance under realistic production loads.
• Copying limits from the wrong programme. Use the controls applicable to your operation, including any product-specific or validated processes.
• Relying on someone else’s registration. Confirm your operator, activities and premises are properly covered before starting.

How AFVA can help you prepare

AFVA’s food safety and quality consulting can help you develop workable procedures, organise records and prepare your food safety system for the activities you carry out. This can include cleaning, allergen management, supplier controls, traceability and audit preparation.

Confirm the scope of support and any verification independence requirements before engagement. MPI’s guidance on hiring a food consultant states that a consultant who writes your plan cannot also evaluate or verify it. Consulting, evaluation and recognised verification are separate functions. For structural design, building consent, ventilation engineering or trade waste approval, use the relevant specialists and authority; food safety consulting does not replace their work.

Frequently asked questions

Does MPI approve every commercial kitchen fit-out?

Do not treat food registration as a general MPI design approval. National food safety requirements apply, while registration responsibilities and any council building, planning or trade waste approvals depend on your business and location.

Does a commercial kitchen need stainless steel everywhere?

MPI’s premises guidance focuses on materials that will not contaminate food and areas that can be effectively cleaned and, where appropriate, sanitised. Stainless steel is a practical choice for many work surfaces, but it is not a blanket specification for every surface in every kitchen.

How many sinks do I need?

Assess handwashing, food washing, equipment cleaning and dirty-water disposal separately. The facilities must support safe practices and comply with the requirements applying to your premises. Confirm the arrangement for your activities rather than relying on a universal sink count.

Can I register a food business using my home kitchen?

Potentially, yes. Confirm your food activities, the suitable FCP or NP, household separation controls and relevant council requirements. The kitchen being at home does not decide the regulatory pathway.

Do I need a blast chiller?

Not automatically under the standard Simply Safe & Suitable cooling card. You need a cooling method that achieves the required limits. Batch sizes, containers and production volume may make specialised equipment appropriate.

Must my freezer be set to −18°C?

Under Simply Safe & Suitable’s “Keeping food cold” card, the requirement is to keep food frozen solid. Do not present −18°C as a universal Food Act rule. Check the requirements of your actual plan, process, product and any other applicable standards.

Does hiring a registered kitchen cover my food business?

Do not assume it does. Confirm whether your operator and activities are included in a valid registration or need their own registration, and document responsibilities for the shared facilities.

Will passing a kitchen inspection guarantee food safety compliance?

Compliance also depends on the activities being correctly covered, staff following the relevant controls, and evidence that those controls work. A suitable kitchen is one part of an operating food safety system.

Confirm the pathway before committing to the fit-out

Start with your food activities, confirm the applicable requirements and check that the kitchen can support them at the volume you intend to produce. Resolve design and approval questions before committing to equipment or construction.

Reviewed against current official guidance: 17 October 2026. General information only: requirements depend on the complete food activities, products, processes, locations, applicable plan or programme and local approvals. Use current official guidance and confirm business-specific questions with the appropriate registration authority or verifier.