Food regulatory agencies

ACT Health Protection Service

Phone: 02 5124 9700

Website: https://www.health.act.gov.au/businesses/food-safety-regulation

Email: hps@act.gov.au

Contact the ACT Health Protection Service if your enquiry relates to:

• food safety
• regulation of food businesses
• developing food regulations
• policies
• general advice and information

NSW Food Authority

Phone: 1300 552 406

Website: www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

Email: food.contact@dpi.nsw.gov.au 

Contact the NSW Food Authority if your enquiry relates to:

• general food compliance issues
• complaints about a food or food premises
• complaints about suspected food-borne illness, contamination of food, labelling, undeclared food allergens, advertising and composition of food
• urgent food safety responses including urgent food recalls
• businesses licensed by the NSW Food Authority - including retail meat premises
• manufacturers and processors
• wholesalers
• food transport vehicles
• very high risk food businesses e.g. dairy factories, meat processors and seafood
• non-licensed manufacturers e.g. bakeries
• food safety including food handling practices
• publications
• licensing of food businesses
• approval of laboratories or analysts
• food safety programs, auditing and inspections
• complaints about labelling, advertising and composition of food.
• Food Safety Supervisors, RTO training providers for retail food handlers
• Regulatory food safety auditors (3rd party auditors)

For complaints about hygiene and standards at most retail outlets (other than retail meat premises), or noise and the local environment, please contact the NSW local council for the premises. Find your local NSW council.

Northern Territory Department of Health

Phone: 1800 095 646 (Food Safety Hotline)

Website: https://nt.gov.au/wellbeing/emergencies-injuries-and-accidents/food-poi…

Email: envirohealth@nt.gov.au

Contact the Department if your enquiry relates to general food compliance issues (and you don’t know where to start) or if you have an enquiry about:

• the production of food for direct sale, sale, preparation or service of food
• registrations of food businesses
• inspections
• food safety programs
• complaints about a food or food premises
• complaints about suspected food-borne illness, contamination of food, labelling, undeclared food allergens, advertising and composition of food
• urgent food safety responses including urgent food recalls
• publications
• legislation.

For general guidance about food complaints visit the Queensland Government's Report a food safety issue web page.

Local Government

Website: https://www.qld.gov.au/about/how-government-works/local-government-directory​

Search the Local Government Directory to find contact details and locality maps for Queensland’s local councils

Contact your Local Council (ask for an Environmental Health Officer) if your enquiry relates to:

• licensing of food businesses (both making and selling of food)
• mobile food premises
• complaints about food safety and hygiene matters in food premises
• food safety programs (except those in Queensland Government facilities).

Public Health Units

The following website includes email, telephone and address details for Public Health Units:

Website: www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/contact-us/contact

Contact your closest Public Health Unit if your inquiry relates to:

• food composition and labelling issues (including undeclared food allergens)
• Queensland food safety publications
• information on food legislation
• complaints about suspected food-borne illness, contamination of food and food recalls
• food safety programs in Queensland Government facilities.

Please note: All incidents of suspected intentional contamination of food are to be reported to Queensland Health via the 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) hotline. Please refer to further information at: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/Documents/ehu/susp_food_industry.pdf.

Queensland Dept of Health - Food Safety Standards and Regulation

Phone: +61 7 3328 9310 (Office hours)

Website: www.health.qld.gov.au/foodsafety

Email: foodsafety@health.qld.gov.au

Contact Queensland Health Food Safety Standards and Regulation if your enquiry relates to:

• Statewide policies on food issues and enforcement
• regulatory implementation and enforcement issues
• approval of and complaints about food safety auditors
• initiating a food recall
• general advice on current and proposed food standards.

Safe Food Production Queensland

Phone: +61 7 3253 9800 or 1800 300 815

Website: www.safefood.qld.gov.au

Email: info@safefood.qld.gov.au

Contact Safe Food Production Queensland if your enquiry relates to:

• the production and processing of primary produce (that is, dairy, meat, seafood, horticulture and eggs)
• monitoring of hygiene standards and operating procedures of premises, vehicles, plant and equipment used for the production of primary produce
• accrediting primary production and processing businesses
• approval of food safety programs for accredited businesses
• complaints about food safety at businesses producing or processing primary produce

Local Government

Website: http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/page.aspx

Contact your Local Council (ask for an Environmental Health Officer) if your enquiry relates to:

• complaints about a food or food premises
• complaints about the sale of unsafe or unsuitable food (including undeclared food allergens, contamination with foreign matter and food poisoning).

SA Health

Phone: +61 8 8226 7100 (Food Section)

Website: SA Health

Email: HealthFood@sa.gov.au  

Contact SA Health if your enquiry relates to:

• registrations of food businesses (both making and selling of food)
• food safety programs, handling of food in a food business, food hygiene
• primary food producers who sell food direct to the public, packaging, treating or substantially transforming food
• dairy distributors
• general food and labelling compliance issues
• other advice relating to food safety matters or legislation

Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA

Phone: +61 8 8429 0837

Website: https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/food_safety

Email: pirsa.foodsafety@sa.gov.au​

Contact the Department of Primary Industries and Resources if your enquiry relates to food safety in the primary industry sector such as meat (e.g. abattoirs, butchers), eggs or seafood (except for dairy).​

Dairy Authority of South Australia

Phone: +61 8 8223-2277

Website: https://dairy-safe.com.au

Email: dasa@sa.chariot.net.au

Contact the Dairy Authority of SA if your enquiry relates to the safety and quality of the production and processing dairy products, including food safety arrangements and accreditation of dairy farmers, dairy processors and dairy transport businesses (dairy businesses accredited by the Dairy Authority of SA must comply with Standard 4.2.4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code).

Local Government

Website: http://www.lgat.tas.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=221

Contact your Local Council (ask for an Environmental Health Officer) if your enquiry relates to:

• registrations of food businesses (both making and selling of food)
• food safety programs, handling of food in a food business, food hygiene
• primary food producers who sell food direct to the public, packaging, treating or substantially transforming food
• complaints about a food or food premises
• complaints about the sale of unsafe or unsuitable food (including contamination with foreign matter, undeclared food allergens and food poisoning).

Department of Health - Food Safety

Phone: 1800 671 738 (Free Call within Australia)

Website: www.health.tas.gov.au

Email: public.health@health.tas.gov.au

Contact the Department of Health f your enquiry relates to general food compliance issues (and you don’t know where to start) or publications or information on legislation:

Department of Natural Resources and Environment

Phone: +61 3 62338011 or 1300 368 550 (Free Call within Australia)

Website: nre.tas.gov.au

Contact the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment if your enquiry relates to:

• meat premises
• egg production
• licensing, inspection or auditing of dairy processes and dairy farms.

Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority

Phone: +61 3 6478 4100

Website: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/biosecurity-tasmania/product-integrity/food-safety/dairy

Contact the Authority regarding licensing and enforcement of the Food Standards Code for the dairy industry in Tasmania.

Agriculture Victoria

Website: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/food-safety

Contact Agriculture Victoria if your enquiry relates to horticulture and eggs.

Dairy Food Safety Victoria

Phone: +613 9810 5900

Website: www.dairysafe.vic.gov.au

Email: info@dairysafe.vic.gov.au

Contact Dairy Food Safety Victoria if your enquiry relates to the selling, transport, or preparation of mainly dairy products (like a cheesemaker or dairy).

Prime Safe Victoria

Phone: +61 3 9685 7333

Website: www.primesafe.vic.gov.au

Email: enquiries@primesafe.vic.gov.au

Contact Prime Safe Victoria if your enquiry relates to the selling, transport, or preparation of mainly meat (like a butcher) or seafood (like a fishmonger).

Local Government

Website: https://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/home​

Contact your Local Council (ask for an Environmental Health Officer) if your enquiry relates to:

• the selling, transport, or preparation of all other foods
• registrations of food businesses (both making and selling of food)
• food safety programs
• mobile food premises
• complaints about a food or food premises (suspected food-borne illness, contamination of food, labelling, undeclared food allergens, advertising and composition of food).

Department of Health and Human Services - Food Safety 

Phone: 1300 364 352 (Free Call within Australia)

Website: www.health.vic.gov.au/foodsafety    

Email: foodsafety@health.vic.gov.au

Contact the Department of Health and Human Services if your enquiry relates to general food compliance issues (and you don’t know where to start) or you are looking for publications on food safety or information on legislation.

Local Government

Website: https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/localgovernment/forcommunity/Pages/LG-Directory.aspx

Contact your Local Council (ask for an Environmental Health Officer or an authorised officer) if your enquiry relates to:

• the production of food for direct sale, sale, preparation or service of food
• registrations of food businesses, food safety programs
• inspections, assessment of food premises, auditing of food safety programs
• complaints about a food or food premises (suspected food-borne illness, contamination of food, labelling, undeclared food allergens, advertising and composition of food)
• improvement notices and prohibition orders, and sampling and analyses of food.

Department of Health - Environmental Health Directorate

Phone: (08) 9222 4222

Website: https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Health-for/Environmental-Health-practitioners/Food

Email: foodunit@health.wa.gov.au

Contact the Department of Health - Food Unit if your enquiry relates to general food compliance issues (and you don’t know where to start) or if your inquiry relates to:

• information on legislation
• publications
• food recalls and food-borne illness
• registration, inspection, assessment and auditing of and complaints about a food purchased from: 
  
  - a public hospital (not public canteens) 
  
  - a dairy primary production business, a dairy collection and transportation business or a dairy processing business
  
  - a business engaged in primary production and manufacturing of bivalve molluscs  
  
  - a business not in a local government district (Rottnest Island and Kings Park).

Foods imported into Australia are subject to requirements under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the Imported Food Control Act 1992, which are enforced by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry​ (the Department).

In addition to the role of the Department at the border in relation to imported foods, state and territory food enforcement agencies are responsible for enforcing the requirements of the Code for all food available for sale within their jurisdiction, including both imported and domestically produced food.

Phone: 1800 900 090 or +61 3 8318 6700 (if calling from overseas)

Websites

• www.agriculture.gov.au
• Importing food into Australia (food imports)
• Export goods controlled by the D​​epartment (food exports)
• Online enquiries (general enquiries)

Contact the Department for enquiries relating to:

• biosecurity issues, particularly for many raw foods and certain processed foods brought through the airport or mailed to Australia
• permits for imported food
• foods which have been stopped at the border
• testing of imported food
• Imported Food Inspection Scheme or related data
• food exports.

NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Phone: 0800 008 333 for general enquiries (free call within New Zealand). If calling from overseas phone +64 4 894 0100.

Website: www.mpi.govt.nz

Email: info@mpi.govt.nz

Contact the Ministry for Primary Industries if your enquiry relates to general food compliance issues (and you don’t know where to start) or if your enquiry relates to:

• primary production
• manufacturers and processors
• wholesalers
• food transport vehicles
• information on correct labelling
• publications
• registration of food businesses
• food safety programs, auditing and inspections
• complaints about labelling, advertising, undeclared food allergens and composition of food
• food safety programmes where meat, seafood and other animal products are processed (carried out by the Verification Agency within the Ministry for Primary Industries)
• maximum residue limits
• import and export of food
• food emergencies
• organic food
• food recalls
• legislation.

Local Government

Website: localcouncils.govt.nz​ or see a list of councils by region here.

Contact your Local Council (ask for an Environmental Health Officer) if your enquiry relates to:

• complaints regarding poor hygiene standards in premises
• registration and inspection of food businesses
• general food safety advice.
• Template Food Safety Programmes (Off-the-peg Food Control Programmes)