Childcare food safety requirements

Last reviewed: 8 November 2026. Checked against Food Standards Code Standard 3.2.2A and its FSANZ guide, state health guidance on its application to childcare, and regulations 77 to 80 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations, on 8 November 2026. Food laws are enforced by state health departments and local councils; check their requirements for your premises.

What Standard 3.2.2A means for long day care, OSHC and family day care, the three food safety tools, and how they fit with the National Regulations.

Does Standard 3.2.2A apply to your service?

Standard 3.2.2A applies to category one and category two food businesses. A category one business is a caterer or food service that makes unpackaged, potentially hazardous food into ready-to-eat food. State guidance applies this to childcare as follows (based on South Australian guidance for education and childcare settings):

Setting	Category	Does 3.2.2A apply?
Centre that provides meals or potentially hazardous snacks	Category one	Yes: all three tools
Lunchbox centre (families provide main meals; service may give low-risk snacks)	Not applicable	Generally no
Family day care lunchbox facility	Not applicable	Generally no

“Potentially hazardous” food is food that must be kept at the right temperature to stay safe, such as cooked meat, dairy, cooked rice and pasta, and prepared salads. If you are unsure how your service is classified, ask your local council or state food regulator. They also tell you whether you must register or notify as a food business.

The three food safety tools

Tool	What the standard requires	Who
Food safety supervisor	Appointed before food is handled, holds a certificate from a recognised course issued within the last 5 years, and is reasonably available to advise and supervise food handlers (on site, or easily contactable with procedures in place)	Category one and two
Food handler training	Before handling food, each food handler has completed a food safety course or has equivalent skills and knowledge, covering safe food handling, food contamination, cleaning and sanitising, and personal hygiene	Category one and two
Showing food is safe	Records that substantiate key controls (receiving, storage, cooking, cooling, reheating, display, transport, cleaning and sanitising), kept for 3 months, unless the business can otherwise show an authorised officer it complies	Category one

Sources: Standard 3.2.2A clauses 10 to 12 and FSANZ guidance. Some states have extra rules, such as food safety programs for services to vulnerable people, so check the state health department guidance where you operate.

What the National Regulations add

• Regulation 77: staff and volunteers must implement adequate health and hygiene practices and safe practices for handling, preparing and storing food.
• Regulation 78: children have access to safe drinking water at all times and are offered food and beverages appropriate to each child’s needs on a regular basis.
• Regulation 79: food provided by the service is nutritious and adequate in quantity, and suits each child’s growth and development needs and any specific cultural, religious or health requirements.
• Regulation 80: a service that provides food and drinks (other than water) displays an accurate weekly menu where parents can see it.
• Regulation 168(2)(a)(i): a policy on nutrition, food and beverages and dietary requirements. See the nutrition and food policy guide.

Food safety checklist for a childcare kitchen

• Food safety supervisor certificate current (issued in the last 5 years), with cover when the supervisor is away.
• Food handler training records for cooks and for educators who serve or handle ready-to-eat food.
• Fridge and freezer temperature log; cooking, cooling and reheating records; delivery checks.
• Cleaning and sanitising schedule for the kitchen, food preparation areas and equipment.
• Allergen controls: each child’s dietary requirements and medical management plans visible where food is prepared and served.
• Weekly menu displayed for families (regulation 80).
• Food business registration or notification current with the council or state regulator.

Assessors look at food practices under Standard 2.1 (Element 2.1.3 healthy lifestyle) and hygiene under Element 2.1.2.

Frequently asked questions

This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. It is written in our own words from the sources linked on the page; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.