Find out what you need to do to set up a food stall or food truck in Hutt City.
Registering a food stall
If you're starting up a food stall and trading on a regular basis, you'll need to register it with us.
Food stall/mobile food truck registration (permanent)
Depending on what food you make or sell from your food stall, you'll need to operate either under a Food Control Plan (FCP) or National Programme (NP).
MPI has a digital tool for you to use to work out where your food activity or business fits within the new Food Act rules.
Before applying, you must seek approval from the site owner/organiser from where you wish to trade. This may involve you speaking to either Road and Traffic or Parks and Gardens at Council by telephoning 04 570 6666 (if the location you are interested in is Council land such as the footpath or reserve).
If you're interested in operating a food stall or mobile food truck on a road or footpath you should also make contact with Urban Plus Limited at Council to check if you require an encroachment licence.
If you're operating under a food control plan (FCP) or a national programme (NP), you'll need to complete an application for a registration.
With your application you must include:
- a site plan
- company certificate (if you are a registered company)
- business proposal
- scope of operation
- letter from a verifier (for National Programmes only) or if you are being verified by another council
The application form details all these requirements on page 7.
If you're registering to operate under a NP, you'll need to contact an independent verifier to carry out your verification. You can find a list of verifiers on the MPI website. You'll need to include a letter from your verifier with your application for registration.
If you want to trade in food on a temporary basis, you can do so once per year without having to register. This is explained in Schedule 3 Part 3 of the Food Act 2014.
To trade food once per year, you still need to complete a food stall form and send it to Council. Please note: we don't issue registration certificates for temporary food stalls.
You're exempt from needing to implement a FCP or NP if your food stall operates for fundraising purposes, or if you're operating a very small scale food catering and service activity where verification or enforcement activities may not be possible due to infrequency of the catering activity.
Food stalls that sell food to raise money for charitable, benevolent, philanthropic or cultural purposes can do so no more than 20 times per year.
If you're selling food for fundraising purposes, or you are operating a very small scale food catering and service activity, you'll need to complete the form below and send it in to Council.
Note: We don't issue registration certificates for exempted businesses and there are no associated costs or fees.
Notification of a food stall form (PDF 511.2 KB)
If you're running a food stall, make sure you read and follow MPI's food safety tips for fundraising and community events.
An event organiser is responsible for ensuring that all food stalls at the event have the right documentation. They should either be registered or have a Council Food Stall form (if the operator of a food stall is operating a temporary stall or is exempted from registration).
Before the event begins
Before the start of the event, you must supply Council with the following information:
- a list of food stalls that will be attending the event. The list should also include the operator's contact details, food being sold, and registration number if applicable
- a site map showing where food stalls will be located
- event organiser's details for the day of the event.
During the event
Environmental health officers will monitor food safety during the event and may suggest improvements or address any major food safety issues. Event organisers must be available to assist the environmental health officer in case there's a serious food safety issue.
Guide or event organisers
Read and follow MPI's guidance material - important food safety tips for event organisers.