Register your temporary or mobile food premises

In Victoria, all food premises are required to have a Food Act registration from their council before selling food. This includes fixed premises, such as cafes and restaurants – but also temporary and mobile food premises such as a food van or a market stall.

What is a temporary food premises?
A temporary food premises is defined by the Food Act 1984 as a structure that is not permanently fixed to a site. This includes things such as a tent, a stall or a marquee. Common examples include market stalls or sausage sizzle stalls.

For requirements on the fit out of your mobile food premises please contact Environmental Health Services on 03 9747 7200 or health@melton.vic.gov.au.

What is a mobile food premises?
The Food Act defines mobile food premises as a food premises that is a vehicle. This can include food vans, caravans or trucks, coffee vans, trailers and even bicycles.

How do we register our temporary or mobile food premises?
Business operators or community groups wishing to obtain a registration for their temporary or mobile food premises from their local council apply through a website called FoodTrader.

FoodTrader is a website developed by the Department of Health and Human Services as a resource to facilitate the online registration process for businesses and community groups across Victoria.

To begin your business or community group’s application for registration, all you need to do is visit the website, create an account and log on. Once you have logged on you will have access to the online application form which will then be lodged to your local council for review. Please see the FoodTrader website for a step by step guide through the application process.

Our Health Department will contact you to discuss your application and arrange for a mandatory inspection prior registration. An inspection fee may be applicable.

Once Council have approved your registration, you can trade anywhere in Victoria without having to register with another council.

However, each time before you trade you need to log in to your FoodTrader account and complete a short form called a Statement of Trade (SOT), which will ask when and where you will be trading from your temporary or mobile food premises. Your SOT will then go to the relevant council to notify them of your activities in the area.

For example, your community group may have a sausage sizzle stall registered with your council. For each sausage sizzle your group does you will need to log on and provide the date and location of where you will be setting up your premises.

Please see the FoodTrader website for more detailed information, user guides, free resources and brochures that may assist you in the registration process.

If you have further queries please contact our Environmental Health Services on 03 9747 7200 or health@melton.vic.gov.au.