Whatever you make, every food and drink manufacturer in the UK starts in the same place. You register your food business with the local authority before you begin trading, and you prepare for a hygiene-rating inspection of each site. These two steps are the shared starting gate.
After that the rules diverge sharply by what you produce. A bakery, a meat-cutting plant, a brewery and a pet-food maker share the registration step but then follow very different obligations. Work through the shared gate below, then use the router to find the guides that match your business.
Registration and hygiene rating are devolved. In England, local authorities register and inspect food businesses under Food Standards Agency oversight. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland runs the regime, and Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) rather than the numeric Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS). Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulations under the Food Standards Agency. Start by registering your business.
Once you are registered, your local authority (or Food Standards Scotland) will inspect each site and award a hygiene rating. The scale below shows how ratings work across the UK.
Find your route
Identify the description that best fits what you make. Each route lists the guides written for that kind of business. If you make more than one type of product, follow every route that applies to you.
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1
General or processed food
Bakery, confectionery, oils and fats, milling, prepared meals, fruit and vegetable products. Follow "Meet food composition and contaminant controls", then the universal "Register and run a safe food and drink manufacturing business".
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2
Meat, poultry, fish or dairy
Products of animal origin. As well as registration you usually need establishment approval. Follow "Get your animal-origin establishment approved".
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3
Alcohol
Brewing, distilling, winemaking, cidermaking or malting. You need approval and you pay duty. Follow "Get approved and pay duty as an alcohol producer".
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4
Soft drinks and bottled water
Soft drinks, juices and bottled water. Follow "Make soft drinks and bottled water".
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5
Animal feed or pet food
Feed for farmed animals or food for pets. Follow "Run an animal feed or pet food business".
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6
Every manufacturer
Whatever you make, also work through the universal "Register and run a safe food and drink manufacturing business" guide, then finish with the food and drink manufacturing compliance checklist to confirm you have covered your obligations.
Official sources
Authoritative guidance and the registration service on GOV.UK and the food regulators.