This resource explains our Compliance requirements for food businesses using Cookaborough to offer meals under government-funded Home Care Packages (HCP) and NDIS sectors.
This resource is useful for Care Providers, Plan Managers and food businesses wishing to learn more about servicing this sector.
We require all businesses using our platform – whether servicing government-funded programs or not – to meet a series of compliance requirements before being able to open a Menu.
Some of these requirements relate to Food Safety to ensure all businesses are complying with relevant sections of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. This Code sets legal requirements for the labelling, composition, handling and primary production and processing of food in Australia and is enforced under the Food Act 1984.
Others aim to ensure that the business has certain consumer and worker protection policies in place.
Proof of compliance is uploaded to the platform in the form of a series of documents, which are then verified by the Cookaborough Compliance team. They are:
Food Business Registration document. This is evidence of a current licence to operate as a food business, issued by the local council or State or Territory-based Food Authority. This document uploaded with the expiry date and is then verified by Cookaborough.
Food Safety Certificate, at Food Safety Supervisor level, completed with a Registered Training Organisation and completed within the last 5 years.
Public Liability Certificate of Currency (coverage of $10M+).
Workers Compensation Certificate of Currency (for those businesses that employ staff).
Cookaborough Declaration that must be signed which ensures that:
All uploaded Compliance documents are true, accurate and valid for the business using Cookaborough.
All people in the business who are handling and managing food have the required level of food safety training.
All items for sale on menus are presented with complete and accurate ingredient lists.
All items are provided to customers with legible labelling identifying the item, ingredients, storage instructions and use or freeze by date.
The business has the appropriate level of Public Liability insurance.
The business is aware of, and complies with Workers Compensation insurance obligations.
If a business chooses to service customers who participate in the NDIS or are recipients of HCP funding, they must agree to a series of additional requirements before being able to open a Menu. These are itemised in an additional Declaration to be signed which asks the business to:
Read and acknowledge their responsibilities as identified in the Code of Conduct for Aged Care, the NDIS Code of Conduct and the Serious Incident Response Scheme for residential home services.
Watch videos to understand expected levels of care and support when servicing the sectors.
Read and acknowledge the Cookaborough Nutrition Guidelines.
COMPLIANCE PROCESS FOR A NEW BUSINESS
STEP 1
The above documents are uploaded to the platform. Once uploaded they will appear as Pending Verification. The business will not yet be able to open a Menu.
STEP 2
The uploaded documents are verified by our Compliance team. Once verified the business will be able to open a Menu.
COMPLIANCE PROCESS FOR EXISTING BUSINESSES
ONGOING MONITORING
When an uploaded document is one month away from expiring, an automated reminder message is sent to the business to upload the renewed document. Once verified, the business is free to continue using the Cookaborough platform.
Failure to upload compliant documents 4 weeks after the expiry date, results in being automatically moved to Non-compliant, which instantly deactivates the account from being able to publish new Menus or take orders on any open Menus.
ANNUAL DECLARATION
Every July each business is required to sign the Cookaborough Declaration, which outlines Compliance requirements as per above (the business will be required to sign two Declarations if they service government-funded customers). Ample notice will be given to be able to satisfy the requirements in the Declaration. The timeline is as follows:
May: Notification of annual Declaration process
25th May – On platform pop-up notification advising all businesses of the requirements, process and timelines for signing the Declaration..
June 1-30: Reminders
Starting June 15, on-platform notifications will remind every business (excluding those who have onboarded in the past 4 months) to sign the Compliance Declaration as per above.
Once submitted, the signed Declaration and documents are automatically recorded in the Cookaborough SuperAdmin dashboard and the Compliance team will review them.
If verified by the Compliance team, the business is logged as Verified and can continue using the platform.
June 31: Cut-off date
On June 31 any business that has not completed the Declaration is automatically moved to Non-compliant, which instantly deactivates the account from being able to publish new Menus or take orders on any open menus.
Only those businesses that are have compliant documents and that have satisfied the criteria in the Declaration can use the Cookaborough platform.
For more details on servicing these customers please see this related blog.
Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for local food businesses to service their community members who are utilising these programs and want access to high-quality local meals.
We have seen the impact of quality meals and the strong community connection that can grow through sourcing locally made meals. For Home Care Packages specifically, a crucial element in designing the HCP program was the role that high-quality, nutritious meals play in the well-being of Senior Australians. Recent Royal Commissions into the aged care sector echoed these sentiments and highlighted the often poor quality of meals participants receive.
The HCP program and indeed the NDIS, allows participants to source their own meal solutions and make the most of the programs' financial incentives to improve the quality, variety and choice of meals available.
If you have additional Compliance requirements in order for a food business to onboard with you, or you wish to get in touch with further queries, please fill in the form below, and our team will be in touch within 24 hours.