Your food control plan is changing. Have your say.

Watch: Robbo and Kiri explain the food control plan changes

What's changing

New Zealand Food Safety, part of MPI, has released a draft update of the Simply Safe & Suitable template food control plan. This is the ready-made plan used by many cafés, restaurants, caterers, school canteens and rest home kitchens. The current version is version 6, and MPI says food businesses have told it version 6 can be difficult to use and doesn't always suit the way different businesses operate.

MPI's consultation page lists five proposed changes:

• reducing duplication of information
• simplifying content
• reducing record-keeping requirements where appropriate
• moving to a modular format, so you use the parts that match what your kitchen does
• highlighting food safety risks

The Government's announcement adds that the draft gives clearer links between hazards, monitoring, record keeping and corrective actions, uses simpler, more business-friendly language, and includes less testing as well as less record-keeping. Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said: "Businesses have told us they want rules that are easy to understand, simple to apply and focused on outcomes."

It's a proposal, not a done deal

Public consultation opened on 9 October 2026 and closes at 11:59pm on 15 November 2026. Until then, anyone can make a submission. You don't need to be a big operator. A café owner, head chef, kitchen hand, school, rest home manager or food truck operator can all have a say. If you fill in the records every day, you know which parts of the plan work and which parts just take time.

How to make a submission

1. Open MPI's consultation page: Proposed changes to the Simply Safe & Suitable template Food Control Plan.
2. Read the discussion document, the draft cards and the proposed design sample that apply to you.
3. Fill in the online submission form linked on that page, or email foodactinfo@mpi.govt.nz. MPI has a Word submission template you can download, and encourages you to use it.

Tips for a useful submission

It doesn't have to be long or formal. Say what kind of business you run, which changes you support, which you don't, and why. Real examples carry weight, such as "this record takes us twenty minutes a day and doesn't add anything," or "this card is confusing, and here's what would make it clearer."

MPI may publish all, part or a summary of submissions, and they can be requested under the Official Information Act 1982. If anything in yours is commercially sensitive or personal, say clearly that you want it withheld.

What else is coming

The Minister says officials are also working on replacing periodic renewals with ongoing registration for some businesses, and he expects that to be in place by the middle of 2027.

Why CES Wellington cares

We service and repair commercial kitchen equipment across Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, Kāpiti, the Wairarapa and Manawatū, so we're in kitchens every day and see how much time owners and chefs put into compliance. A clearer, less repetitive plan means more time running the kitchen. When the people doing the work speak up, the rules usually end up more practical.

On our side, keeping equipment working properly makes the food safety checks easier. Our Dishwasher Hygiene Check confirms your machine is reaching the right wash and rinse temperatures, and planned maintenance every 4 months or six-monthly keeps it that way.

Take a look at the draft and have your say before 15 November.

Sources

• MPI: Proposed changes to the Simply Safe & Suitable template Food Control Plan (consultation page)
• Beehive: Simpler food safety, stronger focus on risk (Hon Andrew Hoggard, 9 October 2026)

← Back to the blog