Steps to getting a 'My Food Plan'

By answering questions in our online tool (My Food Rules), you can find everything you need to know about food rules – if you need to register your business, who with (and under which legislation), and how to do it.

'My Food Rules' is based on the type of food you want to make and how you want to make it. Once you’ve been through the tool, you will be given the option to either use one of our plans that we have tailored for you or create your own.

My Food Rules tool

You can either print it out or save it on your computer to easily find later. 

You can use your computer to download the plan from the My Food Rules tool to a PDF, which you can save or print. We have instructions on how to do this depending on which browser you are using.

How to download your plan [PDF, 562 KB]

How to use 'My Food Plan'

'My Food Plan' contains procedures for managing food safety and suitability in your food business. Each topic has 3 sections – Know, Do, and Show.

Know outlines why the topic is important to food safety and suitability.

Do outlines what you and your staff need to do to make safe and suitable food.

Show outlines the records you need to keep and what your verifier will look for when they visit your business.

Using 'My Food Plan' means agreeing to follow the limits (for example, time and temperature cooking combinations), conditions, or options in the plan. Some businesses have other ways they want to do things. This is fine as long as you can show they are safe, but you'll need to develop your own plan (or procedure) and have this evaluated.

There are multiple areas in the plan where you need to fill in the blanks or select options for how you will manage food safety. Make sure you do this before you find a verifier.

You need to provide additional information that will become part of your registered ‘My Food Plan’ custom FCP. You can write additional information as one document, or several documents. Make sure your additional documents have version control. Note: we won’t be able to complete your registration without this information.

1. Business bio

Provide a description of your business, what you do, and how you operate. We've written an example of a bio to help you.

2. Hazards, process description

One of the cards in 'My Food Plan' is called 'Knowing your process and controls'. Review that card before putting together this additional information. The card asks you to identify and document the following:

1. Identify and record the ingredients and inputs for each food or drink you make.
2. Write down the process you/your staff follow when making each of your products.
3. Identify the hazards (bugs, chemicals, and foreign matter) that will need to be controlled when making each product.
4. Identify and note any regulatory limits (or set your own limits) that apply to your products.
5. Ensure that you only use ingredients, food additives, and processing aids that the Food Standards Code allows for the food or drink you make.

3. Product descriptions

For each product or product type/group, provide a product description. You can group similar products together, for example, ready-to-heat-and-eat meals containing meat/fish or ready-to-heat-and-eat vegan meals.

Refer to this worked example to help you

You need to go through a desktop evaluation before you can register your ‘My Food Plan’. This is an independent review to check that your plan covers all of the products you will make, the processes you will use, and that it can work for you.

You'll need to hire an evaluator to do the job. You must include a report from your evaluator with your application for registration.

Find a recognised evaluator in our public register. In the search fields, look for "Recognition Function" and choose "Food Act Evaluation" from the dropdown list.

Search our public register

Send your evaluator:

• the completed 'My Food Plan' document,
• internal and external site plan for each premises under the FCP
• all additional information/documents you wrote up (see Step 4), and any other supporting information the evaluator requests.

Desktop evaluation costs

These are set by each evaluator and can vary depending on your business complexity and if you have all the required documents ready or not.

Before sending your required documentation to MPI, you need to choose a verifier. A verifier is a food safety expert who will come and check your business once you are operating.

Your verifier must be different from your evaluator.

You can find verifiers in our public register. In the search fields, look for "Recognition Function" and choose "Food Act Verification – custom FCP" from the dropdown list.

Search our public register

Ask your chosen verifier to provide you with a letter confirming that they will verify your business so that you can include this in your application.

Once evaluation is complete, send the following to MPI:

• a completed FA10MFP form: Custom Food Control Plan application [PDF, 315 KB]
• your evaluation report
• your completed 'My Food Plan' document, 
• site plans
• all additional information/documents you wrote up.

Email all of these to approvals@mpi.govt.nz

Or post your application documents to:

Approvals Group New Zealand Food Safety
Ministry for Primary Industries
Charles Fergusson Building
38-42 Bowen St
Pipitea Wellington
PO Box 2526, Wellington
New Zealand 6140.

Start using your completed 'My Food Plan' to make safe and suitable food.

Follow good food safety practices and keep the records of what you do, as required by your plan.

Timeframe for checks

If you are a new business, your verifier must visit within 3 months of registering or earlier if required by MPI Approvals. MPI Approvals will notify your nominated verification agency (verifier) when your food control plan is registered.

Frequency of visits

How often you are checked will depend on how well you manage food safety. This could be as little as once every 18 months, if you are managing food safety well, or as often as every 3 months if you are not. You must pay for each visit, so the better you do, the less it will cost you.

What a verifier does

The verifier will check you are following your plan effectively and keeping all the records you need to make safe and suitable food. They will give feedback on areas that need improvement.

Once you have your plan in place, you must:

• follow your plan to make safe food and keep all necessary records
• renew your registration with MPI Approvals every year.

If you make any changes to what you do, you may need to change your plan and apply for an amendment. Examples of changes are:

• new processes
• making types of food that are not covered by your plan
• your business changes ownership or shuts down, relocates, or adds new sites.

If the changes are such to be considered a significant amendment, you may require another evaluation. 

Contact MPI Approvals for assistance approvals@mpi.govt.nz

Guidance when making changes to a registered custom FCP