Source: New Zealand Government
Regulation Minister David Seymour and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have today announced the next steps in the implementation of the Ministry for Regulation’s Hospitality Sector Review.
“Red tape isn’t neutral, it’s a tax on growth. If we are going to unlock New Zealand’s potential, we need to cut red tape and let businesses get on with business,” Mr Seymour says.
“The Review found businesses are struggling with red tape and the associated compliance costs, because most food safety regulations are treated as one-size-fits-all. One business told the review that it was becoming a full-time job to complete the paperwork associated with food safety compliance, and for all that paperwork.
“That’s why we’re fixing it. The Government has accepted seven recommendations to make food safety rules within the hospitality sector proportionate to the actual risk of an issue arising. We need to stop treating small hospitality businesses as though they are fine dining restaurants with large scale commercial kitchens.
“The hospitality sector is a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economy. It’s high time the Government showed it; by being a good host and getting out of the way.”
The Review recommended:
- moving some lower-risk hospitality businesses into lower-risk food safety categories
- creating a simpler, hospitality-specific Food Control Plan, including reducing record-keeping requirements
- review and update the full suite of operational policies and guidance to regulators to be simpler and more user-friendly
- removing recurring registration renewals
- extending verification (compliance monitoring) periods for high-performing businesses
- allowing food truck compliance checks to be recognised across different council boundaries
- improving fee-setting arrangements through setting more specific and comprehensive principles for setting fees
“Businesses say that record‑keeping and other requirements aren’t aligned to actual harm, and that registration and renewals are slow and confusing. They also say compliance monitoring and enforcement are heavy‑handed for the risk involved, and that fees are often too high, inconsistently tied to risk, and still don’t cover regulators’ costs,” Mr Hoggard says.
“Today is a good day for the hospitality sector. The Government has accepted all but one of the Review’s recommendations to reform food safety requirements in the hospitality sector. I expect these changes to be in force as soon as practicable.
“We will put hospitality businesses into food safety categories which are proportionate to the level of risk they operate with. Low risk small cafes might fall into the low-risk category, whereas a large scale catering company might fall into the higher-risk category.
“We will also create a simple, hospitality-specific Food Control Plan and reduce record-keeping requirements where they don’t contribute to food safety.
“We will remove recurring registration renewals, extend verification periods for high‑performing businesses, recognise food truck compliance checks across council boundaries, review and update the full suite of operational policies and guidance to regulators to be simpler and more user-friendly, and tighten fee‑setting by requiring clear, specific principles that link fees to risk, efficiency, and transparency.
“We are going to make it simpler and more efficient for businesses to demonstrate they are meeting the right standards for their size and risk.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/18/reforming-food-safety-requirements-for-hospitality-sector/