Important notice to all Cafes, Restaurants and other Food Premises in the Willoughby City Area
Willoughby City Council is seeking information from all cafes, restaurants and other food premises in the Willoughby local government area in order to comply with recent changes to State legislation that will provide safer food premises and strengthen the whole of government response to food safety emergencies across the State.
The changes require all New South Wales councils to carry out regular inspections and enforcement of all food catering and food service businesses within the area and report to the NSW Food Authority on compliance with the legislation, investigate food complaints, undertake urgent food safety responses including urgent food recalls and report to the NSW Food Authority about food business operations in the City of Willoughby.
The new legislation requires Willoughby City Council to develop a register for all food premises within the City of Willoughby. All businesses will be provided a classification which determines the annual inspection frequency and fee.
This legislation applies to businesses that sell or serve food directly to customers or produce food for direct sale to consumers.
What are the benefits of these changes?
The new system:
- provides safer food for the consumers of NSW by reducing the impact of food borne illness
- is a NSW-wide program which means consistency across all local government areas in the State
- avoids duplication by clarifying the roles and responsibilities between councils and the NSW Food Authority
- strengthens whole-of-government response to food safety emergencies such as potential food borne illness outbreaks, food recalls, extortion and bioterrorism
- reduces the costs to retail food businesses of food poisoning outbreak such as from lost trade and goodwill
What do I need to do?
If you own or opperate a business which produces food or serves food to the public, you need to do the following:
- Notify Council with your business details
- Register your business details with the NSW Food Authority
Notifying Council
Council is establishing a register of all food service businesses within the local area to ensure that the required inspections are carried out. You can notify council via the following methods:
Online
Click here to fill in our online form
Form
Download this form 
Food Business Notification Form - 44 KB and fax it to 9411 8309 or post to:
Willoughby City Council
"Attention - Food Business Registration"
PO Box 57
Chatswood NSW 2057
Currently Council is only calling for notification, not payment. However, fees will be applicable and are as follows:
Registration
For businesses with up to 5 employees handling food - $150
For businesses with 6 or more employees handling food - $250
Inspection
Inspection fee - $154
Registering with the NSW Food Authority
You can notify the NSW Food Authority via the following methods:
Online
Submit your notification and keep it updated via the Internet. It is fast, free of charge and provides you with an instant certificate of confirmation. Follow instructions on how to complete your notification online at www.foodnotify.nsw.gov.au. Print out and keep the last page which will contain your reference number and password.
Paper form
Paper forms can be submitted to the Authority directly. All paper forms incur a processing charge of $55.00 (GST included). Contact the Authority's Food Notification Help Desk on 1300 650 124 to obtain a form.
For more information please see the NSW Food Authority website www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au