Catering

Off-site catering refers to serving potentially hazardous food at a place other than the principal place of operation of the licenced food business.  Examples include:

• A spit-roast catering company partially prepares food at one place (their principal place of business). It then finishes preparations and serves food at another place, such as a local park, on a beach or in a hired hall.
• A charter boat company prepares food such as chicken, cold meat and salads in a licensed fixed premises (their principal place of business). It then transports and serves the food as a buffet for lunch, either on the boat or on land at a designated or random stop.

If your business involves off-site catering, you must prepare all food at an approved premises and/or at the event. If you are transporting food, you must advise Council of all the food transport vehicles involved in the catering operation.

On-site catering means preparing and serving potentially hazardous food to consumers at the premises where the licenced food business is carried out.  Usually, the food is:

• of a predetermined type (this may be product specific or include a particular type of food)
• for a set number of persons (this includes a group of people attending a particular event)
• served at a predetermined time (specific day/s and time/s)
• for a set cost agreed prior to food preparation and service.