Registering your Kitchen as a Home based Business

Having your Home Kitchen registered is something that requires some patience and determination.

There are some people on the Cakes and More Forum that have had their kitchen registered, the experience for each has been different and due to this there is no definitive list of who to contact and what to do. However I make an attempt at providing the following information to get you started.

The first thing you will need to do is contact your local council, you may have to be persistent, the first person you speak to may brush you off or tell you no. Bide your time for a bit and then try again. One of our members in Melbourne was told no when they first started but when she called her council again a year later, she dealt with someone different who was very helpful and provided her with the info she required and now she is registered.

Some of the things you might need to get/do are:

• thermometer
• sanitiser & sanitising wipes for the thermometer
• coving on the bottom edges of cabinets
• paper towel dispenser
• hand washing liquid dispenser
• hands free tap
• a separate cupboard for storing my cake ingredients
• separate storage for cake equipment utensils etc
• separate hand washing sink
• possibly a separate fridge or a separate shelf in the fridge exclusively for cake stuff
• keep records of deliveries, fridge temperature, cleaning schedule etc.

Food safety training whether you do cakes for fun, family, friends, as a hobby, a small business, or a larger business, this is the one thing you should ensure you do, for the safety of your friends, family, customers and yourself.

Each council has their own requirements, so the best thing is to speak to them and see what it is they need/want/require. If you do hit a hurdle, implementing any of the above is good food safety practice anyway.

If you rent you are likely to require written approval from your landlord in running a home business.

Here are a variety of links from different states, to help get you started, some of them may have different information which is why it is important to contact your council. If your council seems low on information, you may be able to take some of the information below with you or it may help you to ask specific questions that may get you the information you require.

Food standards.gov
Food authority NSW
Wollongong NSW
AMACC
Salisbury SA
Charles Sturt

Helpful information provided by Cakes & More member Nati.