The MPI food business levy just went up — and it rises again in July 2027

What is the Domestic Food Business Levy, and what does it cost now?

It's a per-site levy on domestic food businesses, published on MPI's Food Act 2014 fees and charges page. From 1 July 2026 it is $99.19 per site; from 1 July 2027 it steps up to $132.25. Where your local council collects the levy, it can add a collection administration fee of up to $12.65 on top.

Why "per site" matters

The levy is charged per site, not per business. An operator with one café pays it once; an operator with four sites pays it four times — $396.76 at the current rate, and $529.00 from July 2027. Each site's levy rises by another $33.06 at the July 2027 step, so the increase compounds across a group.

Where the levy sits among MPI's other charges

For context, the national registration fees on the same MPI fees page: registering a custom Food Control Plan costs $349.31; a template Food Control Plan $194.06; a National Programme $116.44; renewals $77.63 (all including GST).

Verification visit costs are separate again, set by councils and independent verifiers — and how often you're verified is the biggest driver of that cost. See how verification frequency is set in NZ.

What to do

• 1.Budget the 2027 step now. It's published, dated and per site — $132.25 from 1 July 2027.
• 2.Check your council invoice line. Where the council collects the levy and adds the full $12.65 administration fee, the line can read $111.84 rather than $99.19.
• 3.Multi-site operators: multiply first. Count your sites before setting next year's compliance budget.

If you're mapping out your compliance spend, KitchenSorted's costs are fixed and public: the daily record-keeping diary is free, and the paid plan is NZ$390/yr + GST — details on the pricing page.