Environmental Health - Food Safety - Registration.
Registration of food businesses.
The Food Premises (Registration) Regulations 1991 require food businesses to register their premises with the local authority. | |
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The Register provides us with information about the food premises in our area so that we can plan our inspections, concentrating on those businesses who are considered to be “high risk”.
Certain information also has to be made available to the public in the form of a register. This basically relates to the name and address of the business and a description of its activity.
Registration is free of charge. It is not a form of license and does not give approval to trade, it just lets us know that you are there.
Notes for new food businesses & premises.
If you are setting up a new business you will need to ensure that you have the relevant planning permission's and building regulation approvals for your new food premises before applying for registration.
We always encourage anybody setting up a new business to contact us first so that we can give advice on how you can comply with the law before you open up.
See also:- Start up advice for new businesses.
Please see the Food Standards Agency  website for more information on setting up a catering business.
Registering your food business.
A fixed premises food business must register with the local authority in whose area it trades.
A mobile food business must register with the local authority in whose area its trailer/vehicle is stored.
You will need to complete and return an Application Form for the Registration of Food Premises,
Downloadable: Download the registration application form 
We do not normally confirm that you are registered. If you would like to receive confirmation that we have received your registration form, please provide a stamped addressed envelope with your completed form.
When we have received your completed form, your details will be added our premises database and your premises will be included in our inspection programme.
Once registered you can expect to receive a visit from a member of the Food and Safety Team who will assess whether you are complying with the law.
For further information see:- Inspections of food premises.
Types of food businesses that must be registered with their local authority.
The following types of food businesses must register 28 days before they start trading. It is an offence not to register.
- premises which are used for the purpose of one or more food businesses on a total of 5 or more days (whether consecutive or not), in 5 consecutive weeks must be registered.
(A food business covers any undertaking involving the sale or supply of food whether for profit or not and therefore, includes charitable and voluntary organisations.)
You do not need to register if you operate:
- any premises used for the purpose of a food business irregularly or only occasionally on less than 5 days (whether consecutive or not) in 5 consecutive weeks.
- any domestic premises;
| unless the occupier is the owner of a food business operating on 5 or more days in any 5 consecutive weeks at that address (this will exempt people’s own homes where food is prepared voluntarily for organisations such as WRVS); |
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| used for the production of honey or for subsequent preparation, storage, bottling or sale of honey; |
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| premises where crops are produced, cleaned, stored, packed and sold, e.g. vegetable sales at the gate; |
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| where food is supplied on a bed and breakfast basis and not more than 3 bedrooms are available for letting; |
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| where the sale of food is ancillary to the activity of a child minder (where there are 6 children or less in the care of the child minder); |
- any premises controlled by a charitable or voluntary organisation and used only by charitable or voluntary organisations, provided no food or drink is stored on the premises (except tea, coffee, sugar or biscuits or similar dry products). This will exempt many village halls, community centres and scout huts, etc.
- Premises which are already registered or licensed for the purposes of a slaughterhouse; poultry meat slaughterhouse and cutting premises; meat export cutting premises; cold stores and transhipment centres; meat products premises approved for export; dairies or dairy farms; premises used by milk distributors;
- Places where eggs are produced or packed;
- Livestock farms, livestock markets and shellfish harvesting areas
- Places at which no food is kept, e.g. the administrative headquarters of a food business, or a kitchen used for washing up only;
- Places where the only food sold is through vending machines;
- Places where the main activity is not to do with food, but where biscuits, cakes and/or drinks are served to customers without charge, e.g. hairdressers;
- Places supplying food or drink in the course of religious ceremonies;
There are other exemptions listed – if you would like further advice on these please contact us.
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