Non-profit organisations

Are you a non-profit organisation looking to prepare food? Different rules apply but you may still need a Food Business Licence.

The licensing requirements under the Food Act apply to a non-profit organisation only when selling meals that have been prepared by the organisation at a particular place on more than 12 occasions in a financial year.

Under the Food Act 2006, a "meal" is defined as food that:

  • is, or is intended to be, eaten by a person sitting at a table, or a fixed structure used as a table, with cutlery; and
  • is of adequate substance as to be ordinarily accepted as a meal.

If you are handling food at home to give to a non-profit organisation for sale by them (eg, baking a cake for a sporting club's cake stall fundraiser), you do not need to hold a licence.

Last Updated: 22 September 2023

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