These requirements apply to all business activities in this division.
registration
Uk
Once
Food business registration with local authority
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Food Safety Act 1990; Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013
All food businesses must register with their local authority at least 28 days before starting to trade. From 1 April 2026, registration must be completed online at register.food.gov.uk. Each site must be registered with the local authority in which it is located. Scotland: separate registration with local authority under Food Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (uksi/2006/3); overseen by Food Standards Scotland. Wales: Food Safety and Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2013 (wsi/2013/2596). Northern Ireland: Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006.
inspection
Uk
Ongoing
HACCP-based food safety management system
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013; Food Safety Act 1990
All food business operators (FBOs) must develop, implement and maintain a food safety management system based on HACCP principles (Regulation (EC) 852/2004, Article 5, retained UK law). System must be proportionate to the size and complexity of the business. Enforcement by local authority environmental health officers; policy oversight by FSA (England/Wales/NI) or Food Standards Scotland.
inspection
Uk
Periodic
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) inspection
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Food Safety Act 1990
Local authority environmental health officers inspect premises and award a hygiene rating from 0 (urgent improvement required) to 5 (very good) — the inspection and rating itself is mandatory for every food business, UK-wide. What differs by nation is whether the business must DISPLAY the rating: display is voluntary in England (see the England-specific display note below), and mandatory in Wales and Northern Ireland (separate requirements, below). Scotland operates the non-statutory Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), giving a Pass/Improvement Required/Awaiting Inspection outcome rather than a numerical score; display in Scotland is a matter for individual local authority schemes rather than a national statutory duty. Inspection frequency is risk-based (every 6 months for a rating of 0 or 1, up to 24–36 months for a rating of 5). England: display of the rating sticker remains voluntary — businesses may choose to display it (or their FHRS rating online) but there is no legal requirement to do so.
reporting
Wales
Ongoing
Mandatory display of food hygiene rating (Wales)
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013
Unlike England, display of the food hygiene rating is a legal requirement in Wales. Food business operators must display their current rating sticker prominently at each entrance used by customers, and must also display it if requested at other premises (e.g. delivery vehicles) on request. Failure to display, or displaying an out-of-date or incorrect rating, is a criminal offence enforced by the local authority; fixed penalty notices are available under the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 as an alternative to prosecution.
reporting
Ni
Ongoing
Mandatory display of food hygiene rating (Northern Ireland)
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Food Hygiene Rating Act (Northern Ireland) 2016
Display of the food hygiene rating is a legal requirement in Northern Ireland. Section 7 of the Food Hygiene Rating Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 requires the operator of a food business establishment to ensure a valid sticker showing the rating is displayed in the location and manner specified by the Department (front of premises visible to customers before entry). Non-display, or display of a false or out-of-date rating, is an offence enforced by the district council.
reporting
Uk
Ongoing
Food labelling and allergen information
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Food Information Regulations 2014
Pre-packed food must carry mandatory labelling including: product name, ingredients list (with 14 regulated allergens emphasised), net quantity, best before or use-by date, storage conditions, name and address of manufacturer or packer, country of origin where omission would mislead, alcohol content above 1.2% ABV. Natasha's Law (effective 1 October 2021) requires full ingredient and allergen labelling on food prepacked for direct sale (PPDS). Enforced by local authority trading standards and environmental health.
inspection
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Enforced by:
HSE
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
General duties to protect employees and others affected by work activities. Includes requirements for safe plant and equipment, safe systems of work, provision of information and training. HSENI enforces in Northern Ireland.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' liability insurance
Enforced by:
HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Required for all employers. Sole traders with no employees are exempt. Certificate must be displayed or made available to employees.
permit
England_Wales
Ongoing
Trade effluent consent (water company)
Enforced by:
LOCAL_AUTHORITY
Water Industry Act 1991
Food and beverage manufacturers discharge high-strength trade effluent (BOD, fats, sugars). Must obtain consent from the local water and sewerage undertaker before discharging to sewer. Annual charges are based on volume and strength of effluent. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own consent regimes — see the nation-specific entries below.
permit
Scotland
Ongoing
Environmental authorisation for water discharges (Scotland — SEPA)
Enforced by:
SEPA
Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018
Food and beverage manufacturers in Scotland discharging trade effluent (or other controlled substances) direct to the water environment — rather than to the public sewer — need authorisation from SEPA under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR), which replaced the former Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR) — CAR was fully revoked from 1 November 2025. This is the Scottish equivalent of an Environment Agency water discharge activity permit; for discharging trade effluent to the public sewer instead, see 'Trade effluent consent (Scottish Water)' below.
permit
Scotland
Ongoing
Trade effluent consent (Scottish Water)
Enforced by:
WATER_UNDERTAKER
Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968
Food and beverage manufacturers discharging trade effluent to the public sewer in Scotland must obtain consent from Scottish Water under the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968 (as modified by the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 and Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003, which transferred sewerage functions from local authorities to Scottish Water). This is the direct Scottish equivalent of the England/Wales water-and-sewerage-undertaker trade effluent consent. Annual charges are based on volume and strength of effluent. Discharges direct to the water environment (rather than to sewer) instead require SEPA authorisation — see 'Environmental authorisation for water discharges (Scotland — SEPA)' above.
permit
Ni
Ongoing
Trade effluent consent (NI Water)
Enforced by:
NIEA
Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
Food and beverage manufacturers discharging trade effluent to the public sewer in Northern Ireland must obtain consent from NI Water under the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, before connecting or discharging. Charges are based on volume and strength of effluent. NIEA regulates discharges direct to the water environment (as opposed to sewer) under separate water pollution controls.
permit
England
Ongoing
Environmental permit for regulated process activities
Enforced by:
ENVIRONMENT_AGENCY
Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
Large food and drink manufacturing installations may require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency (England) covering emissions to air and water, waste management, and energy efficiency. Applies when the installation meets IED thresholds (e.g. slaughterhouses with capacity >50 tonnes/day, dairies >200 tonnes/day milk intake). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own permitting regimes — see the nation-specific entries below. Smaller installations may only require a standard rules permit or exemption.
permit
Scotland
Ongoing
Environmental permit for regulated activities (Scotland)
Enforced by:
SEPA
Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018
Large food and drink manufacturing installations in Scotland meeting IED-equivalent thresholds require an authorisation from SEPA under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR), which replaced the former Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (PPC(S)) — PPC(S) was fully revoked from 1 November 2025. Covers emissions to air and water, waste management, and energy efficiency, in the same way as the Environment Agency permit in England.
permit
Wales
Ongoing
Environmental permit for regulated process activities (Wales)
Enforced by:
NRW
Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
Large food and drink manufacturing installations in Wales meeting IED thresholds require an environmental permit under the same Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 that applies in England, but administered by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) rather than the Environment Agency. Smaller installations may only require a standard rules permit or exemption.
permit
Ni
Ongoing
Environmental permit for regulated process activities (Northern Ireland)
Enforced by:
NIEA
Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013
Large food and drink manufacturing installations in Northern Ireland meeting IED thresholds require a Part A or Part B pollution prevention and control permit from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013, which remain the operative NI regime (as amended) — covers emissions to air and water, waste management, and energy efficiency, in the same way as the Environment Agency permit in England. Smaller installations may only require a standard rules permit or exemption.
reporting
England
Periodic
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging
Enforced by:
ENVIRONMENT_AGENCY
Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024
Businesses with annual turnover of £1 million or more AND handling 25 tonnes or more of packaging per year must register and report packaging data. Businesses with turnover of £2 million or more AND handling 50 tonnes or more are 'large producers' with additional obligations including six-monthly reporting and payment of waste management fees. Small producers (£1–2m turnover, 25–50 tonnes) must report annually. Registration is through an approved compliance scheme or directly with the national regulators. Separate but equivalent regimes apply in Scotland (SEPA), Wales (NRW), and Northern Ireland (NIEA).