Seafood retailer licence

Who this licence suits?

What you can do

A seafood retailer mainly sells seafood directly to the public.

With this licence, you can:

sell seafood for human consumption from a retail shop
sell seafood from a fixed shop, vehicle or boat
process and store seafood mainly for retail sale
wholesale less than 50 tonnes of seafood per year from a retail shop.

What you cannot do

You cannot:

harvest seafood that you have grown — you need an aquaculture licence
wholesale 50 tonnes or more of seafood each year — you need a seafood processing facility licence
sell pet food — you need a pet food establishment licence
transport meat or seafood if you hold a fixed‑shop‑only licence — you need a meat and seafood transport vehicle licence.

Licence conditions and standards
Licence conditions require all seafood retail businesses to comply with relevant Australian and Victorian standards and guidelines.
All seafood businesses have to comply with the requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code(opens in a new window). This includes having a food safety program.
There are steps your business must complete before we can issue a licence. This includes preparing your facility.
You cannot use your own home to grow, manufacture, process or store seafood that you are going to sell. Your facility must be separate but can be at the same address or a dedicated and separate section of the building.
Before you apply
Before applying, you must prepare your business to meet licence requirements.
To learn what you need to do and how to apply, read apply for a licence.
After you receive your licence
Once we issue your licence, you must comply with your licence conditions at all times.
If you do not understand your licence conditions, contact us for help.
Standards and guidelines you must follow
- All seafood businesses are required to comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code(opens in a new window).
- Use the standards set out in the Victorian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (VSQAP) for harvesting bivalve shellfish for human consumption.
Victorian shellfish quality assurance program
PDF 276.06 KB

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The Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program Operations Manual(opens in a new window) sets out the procedures and administrative practices that will allow your food safety program to meet the food safety requirements for the production, harvest and storage of bivalve shellfish e.g. oysters, scallops, mussels and pipis.

If you also process or store meat or poultry, your food safety program has to include the principles of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

Apply for a licence

How to apply for a Safe Food Victoria licence.

Fees and charges

Safe Food Victoria fees and charges for dairy, meat, poultry and seafood businesses.

Updated 23 June 2026