Food Control Plan
Template Food Control Plans are designed for:
- Food Service businesses- e.g. restaurants, cafes, takeaways, caterers, mobile operators, operators of residential care facilities.
- Food retail businesses- e.g. butchers, fishmongers, retail bakers, delicatessens, service stations or dairies.
A food control plan (FCP) is a comprehensive plan for managing food safety. MPI developed templates to make creating your plan easier. Build your plan using templates supplied by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). If your business activities are covered by one of the available templates, you can use this rather than creating your own custom Food Control Plan.
New Zealand Food Safety provides several pre-evaluated plans. Choose the one that you think will work best in your business.
Simply Safe & Suitable Template Food Control Plan
Most food service businesses and food retailers can use the Simply Safe & Suitable template to meet the requirements of the Food Act. This template is primarily registered and audited by the Council.
- Simply Safe & Suitable- for food service and food retail businesses
- Translations of Simply Safe & Suitable
- Steps to a Simply Safe & Suitable template Food Control Plan
Maintaining Accurate Food Safety Records- Food Diary
Nelson City Council has released a new Food Diary to support food businesses in meeting record‑keeping obligations under the Food Act. You can access the diary here or alternatively purchase the diary from Council for $12.00.The diary provides a structured and reliable method for documenting daily food safety practices in a consistent and compliant manner, and while it is available from us, there is no requirement to adopt this specific format as records may be kept in any suitable way.
Custom Food Control Plan
Manufacturers of high-risk foods or businesses whose operations do not fit with a Template Food Control Plan will need a custom Food Control Plan (FCP) and register it with MPI. Other businesses can also choose this type of plan to personalize the way they manage food safety.
What is a Custom FCP?
An FCP is a comprehensive plan for managing food safety. You will need to:
- develop your plan or download it from My Food Rules
- Have it evaluated if required
- register it with MPI, and renew your registration each year
- get checked by a verifier (auditor)
- follow your plan to make safe food
Types of custom FCPs
New Zealand Food safety provides 2 types of custom FCPs:
- My Food Plan: Available only through the online My Food Rules tool. It is a combination of pre-evaluated Simply Safe & Suitable, Food Safety template for winemakers, and National Programme 1 that a business can use. My Food Plan has already been evaluated, which saves you time and money.
2. A 'standard' custom FCP: This is a plan you develop to suit your business without using the My Food Rules tool. In the plan you need to identify the food safety risks involved in what you do, and show how you will manage these. The plan will need to be evaluated.
Guide to help develop your custom Food Control Plan
Steps to a standard custom Food Control Plan
Making a change to your custom FCP
Find out what to do if you make changes to your food business, My Food Plan, or a standard custom Food Control Plan
Other pre-evaluated Plans
For further pre-evaluated plans such as the Food Safety Template for Cheesemakers or Winemakers please see NZ Food Safety.
