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Starting a food business

United Kingdom·Wire Summary⏱️ 4 min read

We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Starting a food business Get emails about this page Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales Print this page Getting ready to start your food business Planning before you start your food business Before starting a food business, you must take time to plan and prepare. Doing so will give you the best opportunity to run your food business safely. Further guidance can be found in our things to consider before starting a food business checklist on this page. If you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute, you may be considered a food business and will need to register with your local authority . This includes food businesses trading: Registration will apply to all types of businesses who sell food and or drink, regardless of where you operate from. Companies involved with food distribution, brokerage or food supply that operate from an office should also register as a food business. This applies even if no food is kept at the premises. If you operate in more than one location, you need to register each premise with the local authority in which they are located. If you are unsure if you need to register or require further advice, please contact your local authority in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. When you start a new food business, or take over an existing business, you must register with your local authority. You should do this at least 28 days before you start trading. Registration of your food business is free and can’t be refused. If you are already trading and have not registered yet, you need to register as soon as possible as this is a legal requirement. If you supply food regularly, for free or otherwise, to the public, then you need to register as a food business. Register your food business on the food business registration portal . If your food business uses more than one trading name to sell food, (a trading name is what your customers would call your business) for example, if you sell food online via a delivery platform, you can include all the trading names on one registration. If you add more trading names at a later time, you need to inform the local authority directly. You do not need to complete a new registration for each additional trading name. You are required to register at least 28 days before trading. We recommend that you do not register too early, but that you wait until 28 days before you are ready to start your operations. Use our checklist to make sure that you have considered everything before you register. If you cease trading at any point, you need to inform your local authority . If you are trading from physical customer-facing premises, please make sure you also read our guidance on and setting up your food business premises . You may also want to read our guidance on selling food for delivery . If you are trading from home, please make sure you read our guidance on starting a food business safely and starting a food business from your home . If you are trading from a mobile unit or temporary premises please make sure you also read our guidance on starting a food business safely and setting up your food business premises . If you are selling food online (for example via social media or a website) or through distance selling (distance selling means any selling that happens without face-to-face contact with the consumer) please read our guidance on starting a food business safely , setting up your food business premises and selling food for delivery . If you provide food with your childminding business in England, the details you provide to O

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