The cafe owners argue that many smaller establishments don't have room for another sink and the addition will require costly renovations.

City of Greater Bendigo, which undertakes inspections of the eateries, said it was simply enforcing State Government laws introduced after a spate of health scares caused by contaminated food.

But Wholesome Bean owner Luke Gray said he had recently undertaken a costly renovation in October, and despite continued consultation with the council was told nothing about the mandatory requirement until a recent inspection.

"If it made any sense we would be happy to comply, but to have a sink simply for vegetables is just ridiculous," he said.

"The whole thing undermines our professionalism."

He said the policy was undermining the council's own push to promote cafe culture in the CBD, where cafes were often located in shops with highly limited space.

"I simply don't have the room. If I had to put another sink in it would have to go in the storeroom."

Mr Gray said his existing sinks were stainless steel and were thoroughly cleaned and sanitised before any food came into contact with them.

Council director of planning Prue Mansfield said the sink law was part of the State Government's Food Act, which had been in place for more than seven years, and it was the council's role to ensure food outlets within the municipality met the environmental health requirements.

"They set the standards and we are responsible for enforcing them, and we have been doing a lot of inspections lately," Ms Mansfield said.

She said the law required any establishment serving food to meet three requirements: a separate double sink for washing up or a single sink with a commercial dishwasher; another sink for hand washing; and a separate sink for fruit and vegetable preparation.