Certificate of acceptability: how caterers and venues get one in South Africa

What a certificate of acceptability is, and what it is not

Regulation R638 was published on 22 June 2018 under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972. It sets general hygiene requirements for food premises and the transport of food, and it replaced the old R962 rules. The certificate of acceptability is the document that shows a specific premises meets those requirements.

It is not a licence to trade. Cape Town says so directly: you will still need a business licence if you prepare meals. Under the Businesses Act 71 of 1991, selling meals or perishable foodstuffs needs a licence from the municipality where you trade, and that is a separate application.

It is also tied to people and places. The certificate is issued in the name of the owner or person in charge of a particular premises. Sell the business, change the person in charge or move kitchens and you apply again. Budget for that when you plan an expansion.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fix the kitchen before you apply

   Read the R638 requirements for structure, water, waste, storage and hand washing, then fix obvious gaps. An inspector who finds no wash hand basin or bare brick walls in the prep area will not issue the certificate on the first visit.

2. 2

   Prepare your layout plan

   For a fixed kitchen most municipalities want a plan showing where equipment, sinks and storage sit. Cape Town accepts a simple hand drawn layout or an approved building plan at 1:50 scale for formal premises.

3. 3

   Make sure the person in charge is trained

   R638 requires the person in charge of the premises to be adequately trained in food safety and hygiene. Have proof of that training ready, because the inspector will ask for it.

4. 4

   Submit the application

   Apply at your municipality's environmental health office or online where it is offered. In Cape Town you activate the Environmental Health option on the City's e-Services, then submit the application with a copy of the ID of the person in charge.

5. 5

   Host the inspection

   An environmental health practitioner visits to check structure, food safety practices, waste and pest control, and general hygiene. Have the kitchen running and clean, not half built.

6. 6

   Display the certificate and keep it current

   Once issued, keep the certificate on the premises. Apply again if the person in charge changes, if you move, or if the inspector withdraws it after a later visit.

Who needs one: caterers, venues and home kitchens

Cape Town's wording is broad on purpose. If you intend to manufacture, store, distribute, prepare, transport or sell any foodstuff intended for public consumption, you apply for a CoA. That covers a commercial catering kitchen, a function venue that cooks on site, a guest farm that serves wedding dinners and a caterer who works from a home kitchen.

Transport counts too. A caterer who cooks in Bellville and drives food to a wine estate in Stellenbosch is moving food under R638, so the vehicle and the containers need to keep food safe and separated.

Venues that only host and let an outside caterer use their kitchen should ask the caterer for its own certificate and check that the venue kitchen itself is covered. When the food is prepared in the venue's kitchen, that kitchen is the food premises the inspector looks at.

What the environmental health practitioner checks

Inspections follow the R638 requirements, so the checklist is predictable. Inspectors look at the building first: walls, floors and ceilings that can be cleaned, enough light and ventilation, a supply of clean water and proper drainage.

Then they look at how you work. They check how raw and cooked food are kept apart, whether hot and cold food are held at safe temperatures, how waste leaves the kitchen and whether pests have a way in. They also look at staff: clean protective clothing, hand washing and whether the person in charge has the required training.

• Wash hand basins with soap and drying facilities in the food area
• Separate storage for raw and ready to eat food
• Refrigeration and hot holding that keep food at safe temperatures
• Sealed, cleanable surfaces with no flaking paint or bare brick
• Waste bins with lids and a plan for regular removal
• Pest control measures and proof they are working
• Clean protective clothing and hair covering for food handlers

Cost and timeline

Fees are set by each municipality. In Cape Town there is no charge for the certificate. Elsewhere, ask your municipal health office before you apply and get any fee in writing.

Cape Town gives a standard processing time of ten working days once all documents are in. That clock starts only when the application is complete, so missing plans or ID copies are the usual reason for delay. If the inspector finds problems, you fix them and book another visit.

Plan backwards from your first event. Allow time for repairs, the application, an inspection and a possible follow up visit. A caterer who takes a December wedding deposit before the kitchen is approved is taking a real risk.

Trading without one, and keeping it

R638 makes it an offence to handle food, or permit food to be handled, on premises without a valid certificate of acceptability. Municipal inspectors can act on complaints, and an outbreak at a function brings an inspection very quickly.

Keeping the certificate is about daily habits more than paperwork. Cleaning schedules, temperature checks, pest control reports and staff training records show an inspector that standards hold between visits. Venura does not handle the inspection, but it keeps the event side organised: quotations, invoices, deposits and banquet event orders on web, Android and iOS, so the kitchen always knows guest numbers and menus in advance.

Certificate of acceptability: questions from South Africa