Short answer: the FSS certificate is a premises-level item with a five-year expiry; food handler training is a per-person item. Both sit in the same register, and the FSS row has two recipients because a departure leaves the venue non-compliant immediately.
The rule
NSW retail, hospitality and food service businesses that serve unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food must have at least one Food Safety Supervisor per premises, certified through a Food Authority-approved training provider. The certificate expires five years from issue and can't be renewed once it has expired (a new course is needed), and the FSS must be reasonably available to staff. Since 8 December 2024 the rule also covers supermarkets, delis, greengrocers, school canteens and children's services. Since 8 December 2023, food handlers must have done food safety training or have the skills and knowledge for their duties. Councils inspect and publish Scores on Doors; the NSW Food Authority sets the rules.
What to record
FSS name, certificate number, issue and expiry, provider; a second trained person as backup; food handler training completion per staff member; council registration or notification date; pest control visits; thermometer calibration; the Food Safety Program review date if you have one.
The workflow
Warnings at 90, 60 and 30 days to the owner and the venue manager. When the FSS resigns, the register flags the gap the same day. Temperature and cleaning logs stay on paper or in the app you use; the register only holds the dates and the evidence an inspector asks for first.
Do it once, properly
Stewart Systems builds this as part of the Register, in your own Google Drive or OneDrive, with the phone form and the warnings, usually live within one to two weeks. Free template · Full industry guide · Get a price for your business
Written by Christian Stewart, Stewart Systems, Wollongong. Published 2026-09-29. Records and flags, not legal, WHS or insurance advice; rules change, check the regulator for the current one.