Environmental Health – food business
verication terms and conditions
Schedule 1: Food Business verication terms and conditions
Queenstown Lakes District Council (“Council”) is a registration authority under the Food Act 2014 (“the Act”) for food control
plans (“the Plans”) and food businesses subject to a national programme (“the Programme”). Under the Act, any appropriately
recognised agency or person can verify a business operating under the Programme. The Ministry for Primary Industries (“the
Ministry”) has appointed Council a verier under the Act to verify businesses subject to the Plans and the Programme. The
following terms and conditions apply to food businesses which have agreed for Council to act as their verier. Terms used in
these terms and conditions that are dened in the Act, have the meaning given to them in the Act.
1. TERM AND TERMINATION 1.1 Subject to the other provisions of these terms, the parties obligations to each other start
on the start date and end on the termination date set out in the verification agreement. Assess each contract against
available verifiers and technical requirements, the contract will be declined if no verifier is available. 1.2 The customer may
terminate the agreement with Council at any time by giving 1 months written notice. 1.3 If the customer’s registration is
revoiked, surrendered or subsituted, or if the customer does not pay the Council’s charges or meet any other
responsibilities, Council may immediately suspend or restrict the services at any time. Such activities will be reported
to registration authority (if not Council and/or the Ministry). 1.4 If the customer’s registration is revoked, surrendered or
substitued, or if the customer does not pay the Council’s charges or meet any other responsibilities, the Council may
immediately stop providing any of its services to the customer. (a) This right is additional to any other right or remedy the
Council may have against the customer at law which rights and remedies survive termination of this agreement. 1.5
Otherwise, where the Council has agreed to provide a service for a minimum period, it will continue providing it until the
end of that period, and will notify the customer at least 14 days before it stops providing the service.
2. VERIFICATION 2.1 The customer agrees and acknowledges that: 2.1.1 The Council will carry out the verification function
under the Act and the Food Regulations 2015 (“the Regulations”), with respect to the customer’s food business. 2.1.2 The
Council will obtain all evidence which in its discretion it requires to determine whether or not a food business complies
with the Programme and wiht the relevant provisions of the Act and Regulations. 2.1.3 The nature and extent of the
Council’s procedures and processes my vary according to the type of business, risk assessment, and previous
compliance history and the Council will focus on what is most important for the food safety at each type of business.
2.1.4 At the end of the verification, Council will provide the food business with an outcome report for the verification
detailing whether the verification is acceptable or unacceptable. 2.2 if any issues are discovered, Council will agree with
the food business on a plan to address those issues, including setting timeframes, and the timing of the next verification
visit. 2.3 Council will provide the Ministry with a report on the outcome of the verification visit.
3. STANDARD OF SERVICE The Council will use its best endeavours to: > Provide the services with care and skill > Ensure
the verifier is knowledgeable and competent to verify the customer’s specific food business operations (this may include
contracting a Technical Expert to assist in the verification of the customers food business) > Provide the verification
services within a reasonable time or within any agree time limit > Provide the Outcome Report under clause 2.1.4 with 10
working days of completing the verification.
4. CONFIDENTIALITY The Council acknowledges that information held by the Council and the customer with respect to the
verification of the customer’s food premises may be commercially sensitive to the customer. To the full extent permitted
by law, and subject to the Council’s obligation to comply with the provisions of the Local Government Official Information
and Meetings Act 1987, the Council agrees to keep all such information and communications confidential.
5. COMPLAINTS AND DISPUTES If the customer has a complaint in relation to the Council’s verification services or the
person conducting them or the customer disputes any recommendation put forward by the verifier, please contact
The Regulatory Manager of Environmental Health. The Council documents all complaints in an attempt to improve its
service under its Quality Management System. All complaints are held as strictly confidential. The customer may seek
reconsideration of a verification decision by applying to the Council in writing within 15 working days after receipt of the
verification report.
Private Bag 50072, Queenstown 9348
10 Gorge Road, Queenstown 9300
47 Ardmore Street, Wānaka
P:
QUEENSTOWN 03 441 0499
P: WĀNAKA 03 443 0024
E: services@qldc.govt.nz W: www.qldc.govt.nz
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