Useful advice to help you get started …
First things first...
- Have you registered your premises?
- Do the design and construction of your premises meet legal requirements?
- Have you put food safety procedures in place?
- Do you and your staff understand good food hygiene?
- Have you considered health, safety and fire arrangements?
- Have you described your food and drink accurately?
- Do you need to apply for a licence to sell alcohol or for entertainment?
- Do you need to apply for a licence to sell hot food or drink late at night or to sell food on the street?
Registering your food business
Registration applies to most types of food business, including catering businesses run from home and mobile or temporary premises, such as stalls and vans. You should register your premises with the environmental health service at your local authority at least 28 days before opening – registration is free. If you have more than one premises, you will need to register all of them.
If you plan to manufacture food using products of animal origin such as meat, fish, milk and dairy products and you aren’t exclusively selling the products that you make to the public, then you might need to be approved first by your local authority.
Useful information
Setting up a food business – An excellent guide from the Food Standards Agency
Food hygiene ratings – What these are and how they could affect your reputation
