New food safety laws now apply to berry, leafy vegetable and melon growers in the Hilltops region.

Anyone growing berries, leafy vegetables or melons for sale in NSW needs to meet on-farm requirements and provide their details to the NSW Food Authority.

Small-scale growers selling direct to the public – for example at markets, at the farm gate, or through direct home delivery – also need to notify Hilltops Council of their business details.

The new rules, outlined in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, focus on key food safety risks associated with berries, leafy vegetables and melons, such as contamination from soil, water, fertilisers and animals, and worker hygiene.

To ease red tape for small growers, businesses growing less than 2 hectares of berries, leafy vegetables or melons only need to notify the Food Authority of their details and manage on-farm risks. Larger producers need a Food Authority licence, with all licence fees waived until 12 February 2027.

Hilltops Council’s Director of Planning, Jaime Dyhrberg said the new requirements established consistent food safety rules and strengthened traceability in the event of a food safety incident.

“We’re encouraging all local growers to take a few minutes to understand the new requirements and reminding those who sell direct to the public to ensure they notify Council of their details,” he said.

The Food Authority’s acting CEO Andrew Davies said the new laws would help bolster consumer confidence by ensuring all growers, regardless of size, addressed key food safety key risks and that produce was traceable across the supply chain.

“Typically eaten raw, berries, leafy vegetables and melons have been linked to multiple foodborne illness outbreaks in Australia and internationally,” he said.

“I encourage berry, leafy vegetable and melon farmers in the Hilltops region to find out more about the requirements on the Food Authority website and to get in touch with us early to ensure a smooth transition.”

For more information, see www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/horticulture

Businesses selling food in the Hilltops region can notify their details by downloading a food premises registration form from Councils website at https://www.hilltops.nsw.gov.au/services/food-safety/ and forwarding it to mail@hilltops.nsw.gov.au