Food Licence NZ: Requirements, Costs and How to Apply

If you are starting a café, restaurant, bakery, food truck, home-based food business, manufacturing operation or online food brand, you may be searching for information about obtaining a food licence in New Zealand.

In New Zealand, the official process is generally called food business registration rather than obtaining one universal food licence. Most commercial food businesses must register under the Food Act 2014 and operate under an appropriate Food Control Plan or National Programme.

The correct registration pathway depends on the food you handle, how it is processed, where the business operates and how the products are sold.

This guide explains NZ food licence requirements, registration costs, application documents, verification requirements and what you must do after registration.

Food Licence NZ: Quick Answer

To obtain what is commonly called a food licence in New Zealand, you will generally need to:

1. Describe every food product and activity conducted by your business.
2. Identify the correct Food Control Plan or National Programme.
3. Confirm whether you must register with your local council or MPI.
4. Check that your premises and facilities are suitable.
5. Choose a recognised verifier where required.
6. Complete the registration form and Scope of Operations.
7. Submit the supporting documents and pay the applicable fees.
8. Receive your food business registration certificate.
9. Begin keeping the required food-safety records.
10. Complete initial verification within the applicable timeframe.

Is a Food Licence the Same as Food Business Registration?

“Food licence” is the term commonly used by people starting a food business. Under the Food Act 2014, the formal requirement is normally to register a food business under an appropriate risk-based measure.

Depending on your activities, your business may operate under:

• A Template Food Control Plan
• A Custom Food Control Plan
• My Food Plan
• National Programme 1
• National Programme 2
• National Programme 3

Some animal-product businesses may instead require a Risk Management Programme under the Animal Products Act. Food importers, exporters and wine businesses may also have additional registration or compliance requirements.

If your operation involves animal products, importing, exporting or other MPI-regulated activities, our MPI food safety compliance support service can help you understand the possible pathway.

Does Every Food Business Need a Food Licence?

Most businesses that commercially make, prepare, process, pack, store, transport, import, distribute or sell food must be registered.

This may include:

• Restaurants, cafés and takeaways
• Caterers and commercial kitchens
• Bakeries and confectionery businesses
• Food manufacturers
• Home-based food businesses
• Food trucks, coffee carts and mobile vendors
• Regular market-stall operators
• Online food businesses
• Importers and distributors
• Childcare centres preparing or serving food
• Retailers handling or selling food
• Food storage and distribution businesses

Some limited fundraising, community or occasional food-sale activities may be exempt from registration. However, food must still be safe and suitable even when an exemption applies.

Do not assume that your business is exempt. Check your activities using MPI’s My Food Rules tool.

Which Food Licence or Registration Does Your Business Need?

The applicable programme is determined by your food activities and food-safety risk. It should not be selected only because another business sells a similar product.

Read our guide to Food Control Plans versus National Programmes for a more detailed comparison.

Main NZ Food Licence Requirements

1. Select the Correct Plan or Programme

You must identify all food activities conducted by the business, not only your main product.

Your registered scope may need to include:

• Food preparation or manufacturing
• Repacking or relabelling
• Chilled, frozen or ambient storage
• Wholesale supply
• Direct-to-consumer sales
• Online sales
• Importing
• Transport and distribution
• Mobile trading
• Catering
• Additional production or storage sites

Leaving an activity out of the application can result in an incomplete or incorrect registration scope.

2. Use Suitable Premises and Facilities

Your premises and equipment must be suitable for the proposed food activities. Depending on the operation, this may include:

• Adequate handwashing facilities
• Safe, durable and cleanable food-contact surfaces
• Suitable food-processing equipment and utensils
• Adequate refrigeration and freezer capacity
• Protection from contamination and pests
• Safe water and appropriate wastewater arrangements
• Suitable chemical and waste storage
• Adequate ventilation and lighting
• Separation of incompatible activities
• Protected storage for ingredients, packaging and finished products

Food registration does not automatically provide planning, building, trade-waste, mobile-trading or alcohol approvals. Contact your local council before signing a lease or completing an expensive fit-out.

3. Establish Food-Safety Procedures and Records

Your business must be able to manage the food-safety risks relevant to its products and processes.

Common requirements include:

• Cleaning and sanitising
• Temperature monitoring
• Cooking, cooling, reheating and hot-holding controls
• Allergen management
• Cross-contamination prevention
• Supplier approval and receiving checks
• Pest management
• Traceability and recall procedures
• Date marking and stock rotation
• Equipment calibration
• Staff training and personal hygiene
• Corrective-action procedures
• Record keeping

The exact procedures and records depend on your Food Control Plan, National Programme and registered activities.

4. Choose a Recognised Verifier

Verification is an independent assessment of whether the business is following its plan or programme and producing safe and suitable food.

Many applications require the business to nominate a recognised verification agency. Written verifier confirmation may also be requested, particularly where an independent verifier will complete the verification.

Access Food Verification & Auditing Limited provides:

• Food Control Plan verification
• National Programme verification
• My Food Plan verification
• Verifier confirmation where applicable and within recognised scope
• Initial-verification preparation
• Corrective-action support

The verifier’s recognised scope must cover your plan or programme and the activities being registered. Verification availability can also depend on the registration authority and applicable legal requirements.

5. Arrange Custom Food Control Plan Evaluation When Required

A Custom Food Control Plan generally must be independently evaluated before it can be registered.

The evaluation considers whether the plan:

• Accurately describes the business and its activities
• Identifies relevant food-safety hazards
• Includes suitable control measures
• Defines monitoring requirements
• Includes appropriate corrective actions
• Identifies the records that must be maintained
• Can be practically implemented by the business
• Is likely to produce safe and suitable food when followed

Learn more about our Custom Food Control Plan evaluation service.

Independence and conflict-of-interest requirements may prevent the same person from developing, evaluating and verifying the plan. Confirm these arrangements before appointing consultants, evaluators and verifiers.

How to Apply for a Food Licence in New Zealand

Step 1: Describe Your Products and Activities

Prepare a complete list of:

• Products you will make, handle, store or sell
• Ingredients and allergens
• Processing methods
• Packaging
• Storage conditions
• Intended shelf life
• Sales methods
• Customer groups
• Production, storage and sales locations
• Wholesale, importing or distribution activities

Include products that will be made seasonally or only occasionally.

Step 2: Complete MPI’s My Food Rules Tool

Use MPI’s My Food Rules tool and provide accurate information about your operation.

The result can help identify:

• Which Food Control Plan or National Programme may apply
• Whether registration is required
• Whether to register with a council or MPI
• The guidance documents you need
• The likely verification requirements

Save a copy of the result for your application records.

Step 3: Confirm Where to Register

Your registration authority depends on the plan, business locations and operating structure.

These are general pathways. Confirm your registration authority using MPI’s food-business registration guidance.

Step 4: Check the Premises and Other Approvals

Before committing to a lease, construction work or expensive equipment, confirm that the location can legally and practically support the proposed business.

You may also need:

• Planning or land-use approval
• Building consent
• Trade-waste approval
• Grease-trap installation
• Alcohol licensing
• Outdoor-dining approval
• Mobile or street-trading approval
• Market or event-organiser approval
• Fire-safety or occupancy approval
• Approval to operate from a residential property

Food registration does not replace these separate approvals.

Step 5: Contact a Recognised Verifier

Contact an appropriate verifier before submitting the application when verifier nomination or confirmation is required.

Be ready to provide:

• Legal and trading names
• Business address
• Proposed plan or programme
• My Food Rules outcome
• Products and food activities
• Expected opening date
• Registration authority
• Number and location of sites

Review our food business verification process to understand what happens before, during and after verification.

Step 6: Prepare the Application Documents

Documents commonly requested include:

• Food-business registration application form
• Completed Scope of Operations
• Legal business name and trading name
• Operator and contact information
• Site address and mobile-business base
• List of products and activities
• My Food Rules outcome
• Food Control Plan or programme information
• Verifier confirmation, where required
• Company extract, if applying as a company
• Floor or site plan, where requested
• Custom Food Control Plan and evaluation report, if applicable
• Details of additional sites
• Application payment

MPI provides official Food Act forms and documents. Councils may have their own online application forms and checklists.

Step 7: Submit the Application and Pay the Fees

Many councils allow food-business registration applications to be submitted online. Some also accept applications by email or using a downloadable form.

Check the application carefully before submitting it. Missing Scope of Operations information, verifier confirmation, site details or supporting documents can delay registration.

Step 8: Check Your Registration Certificate

Once the registration authority approves the application, it will issue a food-business registration certificate or registration confirmation.

Check that it correctly identifies:

• The legal operator
• Trading name
• Registered site or sites
• Food Control Plan or National Programme
• Registered activities
• Registration expiry date

Contact the registration authority promptly if any information is incorrect.

Step 9: Arrange Initial Verification

Registration and verification are separate processes. Receiving a registration certificate does not mean that the verification has already been completed.

Extensions may be possible in limited circumstances, but they must be requested through the appropriate process. Do not wait until the end of the allowed period before contacting your verifier.

During initial verification, the verifier may review:

• Whether actual activities match the registered scope
• Food-handling practices
• Cleaning and sanitising
• Temperature and process controls
• Allergen management
• Supplier information
• Traceability and recall readiness
• Pest management
• Staff knowledge and training
• Monitoring records
• Corrective actions
• Implementation of the applicable plan or programme

Our food safety audit preparation service can help identify gaps before verification.

How Much Does a Food Licence Cost in NZ?

There is no single nationwide food licence price. The total cost depends on the registration authority, plan or programme, number of sites, verifier, travel requirements and complexity of the operation.

MPI Registration Fees in 2026

The following fees apply when the food business is registering directly with MPI. They do not represent council registration fees.

MPI may charge additional assessment time when an application takes significantly longer than expected. Council registration charges differ, so check the current fee schedule for your own council.

Food Business Levy for 2026/27

For the period from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the annual Food Business Levy is:

• $86.25 excluding GST
• $99.19 including GST

For Food Control Plans, the levy is generally charged per registered place. For National Programmes, it is generally charged per registered business.

Councils collect the levy on MPI’s behalf for council-registered businesses and may add a collection fee of up to $11 excluding GST, or $12.65 including GST. MPI does not add this council collection fee when MPI collects the levy directly.

The levy is separate from registration, renewal, evaluation and verification charges. Check MPI’s current Food Act fees, charges and levies before applying.

How Much Does Verification Cost?

Verification is normally charged separately from registration. The price can depend on:

• Plan or programme type
• Business size and complexity
• Number of sites
• Time required onsite and offsite
• Travel requirements
• Availability and quality of records
• Previous compliance history
• Corrective-action review
• Whether follow-up verification is required

Request a written quotation and confirm what is included before selecting a verifier. You can contact Access Food Verification & Auditing Limited for a quote based on your business activities and location.

Applying for a Food Licence in Auckland

Auckland businesses based in one council area and operating under a Template Food Control Plan or National Programme will commonly register through Auckland Council. However, registration through MPI may apply to a Custom Food Control Plan, My Food Plan or certain multi-site operations.

Before applying, confirm:

• Your complete food activities
• The correct Food Control Plan or National Programme
• Whether the premises is suitable
• Whether planning or building approval is required
• Your proposed verification agency
• Whether verifier confirmation is required
• The current Auckland Council registration and levy fees

Access Food Verification & Auditing Limited is based in Auckland and provides New Zealand-wide support. We can assist with registration guidance, verifier confirmation where applicable, verification and preparation support.

Do Home-Based Food Businesses Need a Food Licence?

Operating from a home kitchen does not automatically exempt a food business from registration.

A home bakery, catering business, meal service, food manufacturer or online food seller may require a Food Control Plan or National Programme, depending on the food and processing activities.

A home-based business may need to demonstrate:

• Suitable ingredient and finished-product storage
• Separation of personal and business food where necessary
• Adequate handwashing and cleaning facilities
• Protection from children and pets during production
• Effective allergen and cross-contamination controls
• Adequate refrigeration or freezer capacity
• Pest prevention
• Appropriate waste management
• Compliance with council planning or residential-business requirements

The applicable registration is based mainly on what food you make and how it is processed—not simply whether production occurs in a home or commercial kitchen.

Do Online Food Businesses Need Registration?

Selling through a website, social-media page or online marketplace does not remove food-business registration requirements.

An online business may still require registration if it:

• Manufactures or prepares food
• Repacks or relabels food
• Stores food for sale
• Imports food
• Distributes food
• Sells directly to consumers
• Supplies food wholesale

The sales platform is only one part of the assessment. The actual food activities determine the applicable requirements.

Do Market Stalls and Food Trucks Need a Food Licence?

A regular commercial market stall, food truck, coffee cart or other mobile food business will generally require food-business registration.

The operator may also need:

• Permission from the market or event organiser
• Mobile or street-trading approval
• Permission to trade in a public place
• Suitable water, wastewater and handwashing arrangements
• Temperature-control equipment
• Protection from weather, dust, customers and other contamination
• Registration that covers the preparation site or base kitchen

Do not assume the market organiser’s approval covers your individual food-business registration. Limited fundraising or community-event exemptions may apply in specific circumstances, but regular commercial food sales should be assessed separately.

What Happens After Registration?

Registration is the beginning of your ongoing responsibilities. Your business must:

• Follow its Food Control Plan or National Programme
• Keep the required records
• Maintain suitable premises and equipment
• Ensure staff follow food-safety procedures
• Complete verification when required
• Correct non-conformances within the specified timeframe
• Renew registration before it expires
• Notify the registration authority of significant changes
• Pay applicable fees and levies

Changes that may need to be notified include:

• A change of ownership or legal operator
• Moving to a new address
• Adding a production or storage site
• Introducing new products
• Changing processing methods
• Adding wholesale, importing or distribution activities
• Changing the Food Control Plan or National Programme
• Changing the verification agency

Contact your registration authority and verifier before implementing a significant change.

Food Licence Renewal Requirements

Renew before the expiry date. If registration expires, you may be required to stop operating and submit a new registration application rather than a standard renewal. This can also result in higher costs and may affect verification arrangements.

Common Food Licence Application Mistakes

1. Selecting a programme based only on another similar business.
2. Failing to include every food product or activity.
3. Omitting wholesale, importing, storage or distribution activities.
4. Applying before confirming that the premises is suitable.
5. Not obtaining verifier confirmation when required.
6. Confusing registration with verification.
7. Assuming a home-based or online business is exempt.
8. Forgetting separate planning, building, trade-waste or trading approvals.
9. Starting record keeping only immediately before verification.
10. Allowing the registration to expire.
11. Making significant changes without notifying the registration authority.
12. Failing to budget for verification, travel or corrective-action costs.

Confirming the correct pathway early can prevent registration delays, unnecessary fit-out costs and problems during initial verification.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a food licence in New Zealand?

There is no single nationwide price. Costs may include council or MPI registration, the annual Food Business Levy, verification, travel and any applicable evaluation or additional assessment charges.

Can I apply for a food licence online?

Many councils offer an online food-business registration process. Businesses registering directly with MPI must follow MPI’s application process. Confirm the correct registration authority before completing an online application.

How long does a food licence application take?

Processing times differ between councils and MPI. An application can take longer when the Scope of Operations is incomplete, supporting documents are missing, other premises approvals are outstanding or the wrong plan has been selected.

Can I sell food before registration is approved?

A business that requires registration should not begin operating until the registration has been approved. Verification usually occurs after registration within the timeframe applicable to the plan or programme.

Do I need a food licence to sell food from home?

Many home-based food businesses require registration. The correct pathway depends on the products and processes, not simply whether the food is produced at home.

Do I need a separate registration for every location?

This depends on the plan or programme, the number of sites and the council districts involved. Multi-site businesses may register sites separately with councils or, in some circumstances, register them together through MPI.

Do I need a verifier before applying?

Many Food Control Plan and National Programme applications require the business to nominate a verifier. Written verifier confirmation may be required when an independent verification agency will conduct the verification.

Is verification included in the registration fee?

Usually not. Registration and verification are separate processes and are commonly invoiced separately. Confirm what is included with the registration authority and verifier.

How can I check whether a food business is registered?

MPI provides public food-safety registers and lists, including the register of businesses operating under Food Control Plans and National Programmes.

What happens if my food registration expires?

You may need to stop operating and submit a new registration application. Some authorities charge a higher fee when registration has lapsed. Begin the renewal process before the expiry date.

Need Help With Your NZ Food Licence or Registration?

Access Food Verification & Auditing Limited supports New Zealand food businesses with:

• Registration-pathway guidance
• Scope of Operations review
• Food Control Plan verification
• National Programme verification
• Custom Food Control Plan evaluation
• Verifier confirmation where applicable
• Initial-verification preparation
• Food-safety procedures and records
• Corrective-action support
• MPI food-safety compliance support

This article provides general information only. Registration, fees and verification requirements can change and must be confirmed for your specific activities with the appropriate council, MPI, verifier or evaluator.