Childcare centres that prepare or serve food to children are required to comply with food safety regulations under Standard 3.2.2A of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. This means at least one staff member must hold a nationally recognised Food Safety Supervisor Certificate. Children are among the most vulnerable to foodborne illness, making food safety compliance in childcare settings critically important.
The Food Safety Supervisor Certificate consists of two nationally recognised units: SITXFSA005 (Use hygienic practices for food safety) and SITXFSA006 (Participate in safe food handling practices). These units cover everything from correct food storage temperatures and personal hygiene requirements to managing allergen risks and responding to food safety incidents.
Melbourne Tech Institute (RTO #45799) offers both units 100% online for $129. It delivers the hospitality units SITXFSA005 and SITXFSA006, so check the next section first: childcare centres in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT need the health units HLTFSE001, HLTFSE005 and HLTFSE007 instead, and this course is not the right one for them. Where the hospitality units do suit your service, directors, cooks and educators can complete the course without leaving their centre - most people need about 6-8 hours, and the certificate is emailed within 1 business day of your assessment and your observer's report landing. Not sure which applies? Contact us and we will tell you straight, or see the childcare guide.
The finer detail differs by state, so it's worth checking your own before you enrol. Victoria treats early learning centres as class 1 premises — those serving food to vulnerable people — and requires them to appoint a Food Safety Supervisor holding HLTFSE001, HLTFSE005 and HLTFSE007, with no set renewal period under the state's current guidance; our Victorian childcare page covers what that means for a centre kitchen. New South Wales requires any retail or hospitality business serving unpackaged, ready-to-eat food to appoint at least one supervisor per premises, plus its own separate NSW Food Safety Supervisor certificate on top of the national units — see our NSW childcare page for how that applies to a service. Queensland requires every category 1 and category 2 licensed food business to appoint a certified supervisor, and for childcare centres in Queensland the units are HLTFSE001, HLTFSE005 and HLTFSE007, which this course does not cover. Western Australia and South Australia apply the same category 1 and 2 requirement under Standard 3.2.2A, which has been in force in both states since 8 December 2023 — our WA and SA childcare pages set out the detail for each.
Ready to get certified? Melbourne Tech Institute (RTO #45799) delivers the nationally recognised Food Safety Supervisor course (SITXFSA005 & SITXFSA006) 100% online for $129 — with your certificate issued within one business day.
More detail for your sector: Food Safety Supervisor requirements for childcare →