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Food safety in Victoria is governed by the Food Act 1984, which sorts every premises into one of five classes. Your class decides whether you need a Food Safety Supervisor, a Food Safety Program, or both. Nationally recognised training is how most businesses meet those obligations and keep their records inspection-ready.
Food safety in Victoria works differently from every other state, so knowing where your business sits comes first.
Food safety in Victoria starts with your premises class
Victoria is the only state that layers its own classification system over the national rules. Under the Food Act 1984, councils sort premises into class 1, 2, 3, 3A or 4 based on the highest-risk activity happening on site. Class 3A was introduced on 1 July 2022 to cover home-based businesses and accommodation premises.
| Class | What it covers | Food Safety Program | Food Safety Supervisor |
| Class 1 |
Food served to vulnerable people – hospitals, aged care, childcare, delivered meal services |
Required, independently audited |
Required |
| Class 2 |
Premises handling potentially hazardous food |
Only for eight listed high-risk activities – otherwise substantiate controls under Standard 3.2.2A |
Required for most |
| Class 3A |
Home-based businesses and accommodation premises |
Not required, and exempt from minimum records |
Required |
| Class 3 |
Low-risk or pre-packaged food |
Not required – minimum records removed for almost all |
Not required |
| Class 4 |
Lowest-risk food handling |
Not required |
Not required |
Getting your class right matters, because every other requirement follows from it.
Who needs a Food Safety Supervisor in Victoria?
Under Section 19C of the Food Act 1984, all class 1 premises, most class 2 premises and all class 3A premises must appoint a Food Safety Supervisor. If yours leaves, you have 30 days to appoint a replacement.
Your Food Safety Supervisor needs a Statement of Attainment covering the minimum competencies for your food sector, issued by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This Food Safety Supervisor certification lasts five years.
How training improves food safety in Victoria day to day
Compliance is the reason most businesses start training. It is rarely the reason they keep at it.
Australia records more than 4.6 million cases of food poisoning each year, leading to over 47,000 hospitalisations. The practices that prevent them, such as controlling the temperature of food items to keep them out of the Temperature Danger Zone, preventing cross-contamination, hand washing and cooling food correctly, are learned behaviours rather than common sense. A trained team notices a fridge running warm, questions a delivery that arrives above the correct temperature and knows when to throw something out.
Getting your team certified in Victoria
The Australian Institute of Food Safety (AIFS) is a Registered Training Organisation delivering nationally recognised food safety training online.
The Food Handler course takes most people three to four hours and can be completed across multiple logins over 12 months of access, which helps when you are training a team around a roster. Participants receive a Statement of Attainment on completion, with the unit of competency matched to the sector they select at enrolment.
If you need to appoint a Food Safety Supervisor, the Food Safety Supervisor course covers the relevant competencies required in Victoria.
Ready to train your team? AIFS offers online enrolment for businesses looking to enrol multiple employees.
You also have the option to set up an AIFS Business Account to take advantage of priority support, student management reports and monthly billing services.
