Register with your local authority at least 28 days before opening, for every site you trade from.
Registration requirements
All food businesses must register before trading - whether a restaurant, home bakery, or mobile caterer.
All food businesses in the UK must register with their local authority's environmental health department at least 28 days before starting to trade. Registration is free and is a legal requirement under food safety law. This applies whether you operate from commercial premises, home, a market stall, or as a mobile caterer.
Registration cost
FREE
Registration deadline
At least 28 days before trading
Registration validity
Permanent (notify of changes)
Processing time
Immediate confirmation, inspection scheduled later
Home-based businesses
Must register (same as commercial premises)
Mobile food businesses
Register once, with the local authority where the vehicle or equipment is normally kept
Food hygiene rating
Issued after first inspection (rating of 0 to 5)
Who needs to register Commercial premises: Restaurants, cafés, pubs, hotels, takeaways, shops, bakeries, manufacturersHome-based: Home baking businesses, childminders providing food, food sold online from homeMobile: Food trucks, market stalls, mobile caterers, ice cream vansTemporary: Pop-ups, event catering, farmers markets (register even for occasional trading)Separate from premises licence Food business registration is separate from premises licences for alcohol. Restaurants serving alcohol require both free food registration with environmental health AND a premises licence (£100-£1,905) from the licensing authority. Both are usually departments within the same local council.
Register a food business (England and Wales) (opens in a new tab)
Register a food business (Scotland) (opens in a new tab)
Restaurants, cafes, and caterers
Register with your local authority Environmental Health team. You'll need to provide your business name, address, type of food activities, and your name as the food business operator. After registration, expect an unannounced inspection.
Applies to: Restaurants, cafes, takeaways, pubs serving food, caterers, mobile food vendors, market traders
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Food manufacturers and processors
Manufacturing businesses need the same registration, but inspections will be more rigorous. If you produce products of animal origin (meat, dairy, eggs, fish) for other businesses, you may need approval rather than just registration - contact your local authority to confirm.
Applies to: Food manufacturers, processors, packers, food businesses selling products of animal origin to other businesses
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Retailers selling food
Shops selling pre-packaged food still need registration. If you prepare food on-site (deli counter, bakery, sandwich bar), your inspection will cover food handling as well as storage.
Applies to: Supermarkets, convenience stores, farm shops, butchers, bakeries, delicatessens, market stalls
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Set up HACCP-based procedures - most small businesses use Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB).
The 7 HACCP Principles
HACCP is the legal standard for food safety management. For small businesses, the FSA provides free simplified systems.
Food business operators must put in place, implement and maintain permanent procedures based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. The duty applies to any stage of production, processing and distribution after primary production. You must keep the documents describing your procedures up to date, and review the procedures whenever you change a product, process or step.
Hazard analysis
Identify hazards to be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels
Critical control points
Identify the steps where control is essential to deal with a hazard
Critical limits
Set limits at each critical control point that separate acceptable from unacceptable
Monitoring
Establish and implement effective monitoring at each critical control point
Corrective actions
Set actions for when a critical control point is not under control
Verification
Carry out regular procedures to check the measures work effectively
Documents and records
Keep documents and records that show the measures are applied, in proportion to the nature and size of the business
Food hazards A food hazard is anything that could make food unsafe to eat. The three main types are microbiological (harmful bacteria), chemical (including cleaning chemicals and allergens) and physical (objects getting into food).
Choosing a system The system you need depends on the size, risk level and complexity of your business. Your local food safety team can assess your business and advise which type of system you need. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Safer Food, Better Business toolkits are designed for small catering businesses such as restaurants, cafés and takeaways. A more detailed HACCP plan can be made through the MyHACCP service or from the FSA's HACCP plan templates.
MyHACCP - Build your HACCP plan online (opens in a new tab)
Training Those responsible for developing and maintaining your HACCP procedures must have received adequate training in applying the HACCP principles. This duty is in Annex II, Chapter XII of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.
Penalties Failing to put in place, implement or maintain HACCP-based procedures is a criminal offence under the food hygiene regulations in each nation.
Summary conviction (England and Wales)
Fine up to the statutory maximum, unlimited for offences since 12 March 2015
Crown Court - fine
Unlimited
Crown Court - imprisonment
Up to 2 years
Hygiene improvement notice
Sets out the action needed to comply
Hygiene emergency prohibition notice
Can close a food business where there is an imminent risk to health
Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB)
Most small food businesses use SFBB - a simplified, practical system that meets HACCP requirements.
Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) is the Food Standards Agency's food safety management pack for small businesses in England and Wales. Complete it for all your food operations, and keep daily records in the diary. It helps you meet your food safety management duties under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.
Pack contents
Cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling, cooking, management and using the diary
Diary
Opening and closing checks each day, with problems or changes and extra checks
Diary review
4-weekly review
Diary format
Electronic or printed
Diary retention
Keep completed pages until your next visit from a local authority food safety officer
Available packs
Caterers, retailers, Indian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, childminders, residential care homes
Safer food, better business (SFBB) (opens in a new tab)
SFBB for catering businesses
The FSA provides free SFBB packs for restaurants, cafes, and takeaways. Download the catering pack and complete the daily diary. Focus on the 4 Cs: Cleaning, Cooking, Chilling, and Cross-contamination prevention.
Applies to: Restaurants, cafes, takeaways, pubs serving food, caterers
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Full HACCP for manufacturers
Manufacturing operations typically need a more formal HACCP plan. The FSA's free MyHACCP tool guides you through creating a tailored HACCP system for businesses with up to 50 employees. Larger manufacturers may need third-party certification (BRC, SQF, IFS).
Applies to: Food manufacturers, processors, packers with more complex operations
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
SFBB for retailers
The FSA provides a specific SFBB pack for retail businesses. Focus on safe storage, stock rotation, and temperature control. If you have a deli counter or prepare food on-site, you'll also need to cover food handling procedures.
Applies to: Shops selling food, including those with in-store food preparation
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Bacteria multiply rapidly between 8C and 63C. Keep cold food below 8C; hot food above 63C.
Environmental Health will inspect and rate you 0-5. A good rating builds customer trust.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS)
After your first inspection, you'll receive a rating from 0 to 5. This is published online.
The UK has two food hygiene rating systems. England, Wales and Northern Ireland use the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), which rates businesses from 0 to 5. Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS). In England, displaying your rating sticker is voluntary.
FHRS Rating 5
Very good hygiene standards
FHRS Rating 4
Good hygiene standards
FHRS Rating 3
Generally satisfactory
FHRS Rating 2
Some improvement necessary
FHRS Rating 1
Major improvement necessary
FHRS Rating 0
Urgent improvement necessary
Display in England
Voluntary
Intervention frequency in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Under each nation's Food Law Code of Practice, local authorities carry out a food hygiene intervention at least this often, based on the premises' risk category:
Category A (highest risk): at least every 6 months
Category B: at least every 12 months
Category C: at least every 18 months
Category D: at least every 24 months
Category E: at least every 36 months
Request a re-rating
If you've made improvements after a poor rating, you can request a re-inspection. There's usually a fee.
If you have made hygiene improvements since your last inspection, you can ask your council for a re-rating inspection. You must first accept your current rating and complete all the improvements the inspector recommended.
Eligibility
Rating below 5, and you have accepted your current rating
Improvement requirement
Complete all recommended hygiene improvements first
England - free service
Maximum one re-rating between planned inspections
England - paid service
Fees vary by council; unlimited requests
England - free request within 3 months of inspection
Visit within 6 months of the inspection
England - later request or paid service
Visit within 3 months of your request
Wales and Northern Ireland
Fee charged (set by each council in Wales; £150 in Northern Ireland); unlimited requests; visit within 3 months
While you wait (Wales and Northern Ireland)
Keep displaying your current rating and let the inspector in
Result notification
Within 14 days of re-rating inspection
Rating outcome
New rating may increase, decrease, or stay the same
Request a re-rating inspection (opens in a new tab)
Know the 14 major allergens. If you sell prepacked food made on-site, full labelling is required.
PPDS labelling (Natasha's Law)
Since October 2021, food you pack on-site before customers choose it, such as sandwiches, salads and pies, must have full ingredients labelling with allergens emphasised.
Effective date
1 October 2021 (UK-wide)
Label must show
Food name, full ingredients list, allergens emphasised
Emphasis methods
Bold, italic, underline, highlight, different font or colour
x-height, area 80cm² or more
1.2mm
x-height, area under 80cm²
0.9mm
Largest surface under 10cm²
Ingredients supplied by other means or on request; allergens still required
Mandatory allergens
14
Celery
Including celeriac
Cereals containing gluten
Wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut
Crustaceans
Prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish
Eggs
All egg products
Fish
All fish products
Lupin
Lupin seeds and flour
Milk
Including lactose
Molluscs
Mussels, oysters, squid, snails
Mustard
All mustard products
Peanuts
Groundnuts
Sesame
Sesame seeds
Soybeans
Soya products
Sulphur dioxide/sulphites
Above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre
Tree nuts
Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazils, pistachios, macadamia
FSA allergen labelling guidance (PPDS) (opens in a new tab)
Allergen information for restaurants and caterers
For non-prepacked food (meals made to order), you can provide allergen information orally or in writing (menus, chalkboards). If relying on verbal information, display signage saying 'Please ask staff about allergens'. But if you sell grab-and-go items packaged before customer selection (PPDS), these need full ingredient labels under Natasha's Law.
Applies to: Restaurants, cafes, takeaways, caterers serving made-to-order food
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Allergen labelling for retailers
Pre-packaged products from suppliers should already be labelled. But if you pack food on-site before sale (bakery items, deli products, sandwiches), this is PPDS and requires full ingredient labels with allergens emphasised. Train staff to answer allergen queries about loose products.
Applies to: Retailers with in-store food preparation, bakeries, delis, sandwich shops
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Allergen controls for manufacturers
Manufacturers must provide complete allergen information on all pre-packed products. Implement robust allergen management: segregated storage, dedicated production lines or thorough cleaning between runs, supplier allergen declarations, and full traceability. 'May contain' statements should only be used after proper risk assessment.
Applies to: Food manufacturers, processors, packers
Official guidance (opens in a new tab)
Pre-packed food needs specific information: ingredients, allergens, dates, nutrition, business details.
Food Information Regulations
The FIR sets out what information must appear on food labels and how to provide it.
Mandatory information on pre-packed food
All pre-packed food must display:
Name of the food: Legal name (e.g., 'strawberry jam' not 'fruity spread')Ingredients list: In descending order by weight, with allergens emphasisedAllergen information: 14 allergens emphasised (bold, italics, or contrasting colour)Net quantity: Weight or volume in metric unitsDate marking: 'Use by' (safety) or 'Best before' (quality)Storage conditions: If special conditions neededBusiness name and address: Responsible food business operatorCountry of origin: If omission would misleadInstructions for use: If necessaryNutrition declaration: Energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, salt (per 100g/ml)Alcohol content: For drinks exceeding 1.2% ABV
The 14 major allergens requiring emphasis
Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut)
Crustaceans (prawns, crab, lobster)
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk (including lactose)
Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts)
Celery
Mustard
Sesame seeds
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at concentrations above 10mg/kg)
Lupin
Molluscs (mussels, oysters, squid)
Exemptions from nutrition declaration
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover/balance
sheet below €2 million are exempt from nutrition labelling for products
they manufacture. Other exemptions include unprocessed single-ingredient
products, foods in packages <25cm², and distance-selling where nutrition
info is provided before purchase.
Font size requirements
Mandatory information must have x-height (height of lowercase letter 'x')
of at least 1.2mm. For packages with largest surface <80cm², minimum
x-height is 0.9mm.
Label requirements review
Review all product labels against FIR mandatory requirements checklist
Allergen emphasis
Ensure all 14 allergens are emphasised in ingredients lists (bold/italic/colour)
Nutrition information
Verify nutrition information is present and correctly calculated per 100g/ml
Font size compliance
Check font sizes meet minimum x-height requirements (1.2mm or 0.9mm)
Importer address
Ensure UK address of importer is shown for imported products
Date marking accuracy
Ensure 'Use by' dates are used for microbiologically perishable foods (not 'Best before')
Claims compliance
Verify compliance with EU Regulation 1924/2006 if making nutrition or health claims
Record keeping
Keep records of label approval and ingredient specifications
Food labelling and packaging (opens in a new tab)
Food handlers must be trained appropriately. Level 2 Food Hygiene is the industry standard.
Food hygiene training requirements
Training is a legal requirement, but certificates aren't mandated. Focus on competency.
Food business operators must ensure that food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity. This duty is in Annex II, Chapter XII of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. Food handlers do not have to hold a food hygiene certificate, but you must be able to show that your staff have the right skills and up-to-date training for their role.
Legal duty
Annex II, Chapter XII, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004
Food handlers
Supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene, in line with their work activity
HACCP procedures
Those who develop and maintain them must have adequate HACCP training
Sector training law
Comply with any UK law on training programmes for certain food sectors
Food hygiene certificate
Not a legal requirement
Training records
Keep a record of training completed, to show at inspection
Allergens
Staff must be trained to manage allergies
Ways to learn
Courses provided or recommended by your local authority, on-the-job training, self-study, relevant previous experience
At an inspection, the officer checks the processes, training and systems you use to maintain good hygiene.
Maintain your SFBB diary, temperature logs, and supplier records. Keep SFBB records until your next local authority visit, and traceability records for the product's shelf life plus 12 months (good practice).
Record keeping requirements
Good records prove your food safety system works. Inspectors will ask to see them.
Your food safety management system must be supported by documents and records that are proportionate to the nature and size of your business. You must provide the competent authority with evidence that you comply with the HACCP duty in the way it requires, keep the documents describing your procedures up to date, and retain other documents and records for an appropriate period. The law sets no fixed retention period. Failing to do these things is an offence under the food hygiene regulations.
If your business is involved in a food safety incident, you will need to show your records as evidence of how you keep food safe.
Records required
Documents and records proportionate to the nature and size of the business
Retention period
An appropriate period; no fixed period in law
Evidence of compliance
Provided to the competent authority in the way it requires
Procedure documents
Kept up to date at all times
SFBB diary
Daily opening and closing checks, problems or changes, and extra checks
SFBB diary retention
Until your next visit from a local authority food safety officer
Staff training
Keep a record of training completed, to show at inspection
Traceability
Be able to identify your suppliers and the businesses you supply
Templates for records The Food Standards Agency provides document templates for most food safety practices, including cleaning, maintenance, pest control, chemical records, staff training, staff hygiene and staff health and sickness.
Traceability Food businesses must be able to identify anyone who supplied them with food or an ingredient, and have systems to identify the businesses they have supplied. This information must be made available to the competent authorities on demand. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 sets no retention period for traceability records.
Key records to maintain: SFBB/HACCP diary, opening/closing checks, fridge/freezer temperatures, cooking temperatures, supplier invoices (for traceability), cleaning schedules, staff training records.
Enforcement and penalties
Environmental Health Officers have wide enforcement powers. Serious breaches can close your business.
Selling unsafe food
Unlimited fine and/or 2 years imprisonment
Failing to comply with improvement notice
Unlimited fine and/or 2 years imprisonment
Obstructing officers
Fine not exceeding level 5 and/or up to 3 months imprisonment
Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order
Immediate closure of premises
Enforcer
Local authority environmental health
Powers of EHOs: Environmental Health Officers can issue improvement notices, hygiene emergency prohibition notices (immediate closure), and prosecute for food safety offences. In England and Wales, fines are unlimited for most food safety offences.