Starting a new food business

Before opening your new business, it is recommended that youcontact the Food, Health and Safety team for advice and guidance. They will be able to help you with:

• Determining whether you need to register your food business, or apply for approval.
• Understanding legal requirements.
• Design and lay out issues.
• Food safety procedures and records.
• Advice and training.

Please alsoconsult the Food Standards Agency's website (opens new window) for more information on:

• Registering
• Exceptions
• Who needs to register
• Registering as a childminder
• Volunteers and charity organisations
• Food hygiene rating scheme
• Updating your business details

Food businesses that manufacture, process, store or handle products of animal origin may require 'approval', because the activities include high risk operations. Usually, business requiring approval are involved in either the manufacture, storage or wholesaling of these foods.

If you are involved with any of the following activities, you may require approval and need tocomplete our online approved establishment application form:

• Minced meat
• Meat preparation
• Mechanically separating meat or meat products
• Live bivalve molluscs
• Fishery produce
• Raw milk
• Dairy produce
• Eggs and egg production
• Frogs' legs and snails
• Rendered animal fats and greaves
• Treated stomachs, bladders, intestines
• Gelatine and collagen
• Some cold stores
• Some wholesale markets or distributors

You may also require approval if:

• You supply products of animal origin to another food business, especially if you supply businesses outside of the local area.
• Your supply to businesses is greater than 25 per cent of your overall business.

Who is exempt?

You'll be exempt from approval if you're only supplying the final consumer. To be exempt, you must not supply other food businesses.

Applying for approval

If you want to operate as an approved premises, you must have 'prior approval' from us before you start trading. This includes an approval document and a unique identification number issued by Breckland Council, which you may need to apply to the labels on your products.

To apply for approval you'll need:

• ​A detailed plan of the proposed establishment.
  • The plan should show the location of the rooms to be used for storage and processing of raw materials, product and waste.
• A copy of your Food Safety Management System (HACCP).
• A copy of your proposed waste collection and disposal arrangements (for example, your contract).
• A copy of your proposed pest control arrangements (for example, your contract).

Further advice

Contact us using our online form if you are unsure whether your business requires approval. Provide as much information as possible about your proposed food activities.

Food retailers or caterers that sell to the final consumercan register their food business by completing the FSA's online application form (opens new window)

The law requires all food businesses to understand the hazards associated with the food they handle and the controls necessary to ensure that public health is protected. This requires appropriate food safety procedures to be adopted and checks to ensure that hazards are properly controlled.

The nature of the food safety procedures and checks required will depend on the nature of the business and the types of food handled. For example, the requirements for a caterer producing ready to eat meals will be different to someone who makes cakes or sells vegetables.

The law requires procedures to be put in place based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). There is no one standard legal format, with every business free to adopt their own system, provided they can demonstrate the safety of the foods produced.

New food business

There is no fee payable to make a new application to register as a food business establishment and you are able to complete the online form. It is required for anyone dealing with food in their business activity; this includes home caterers. It also is a requirement for any new owner (food business operator) who is taking over an existing food business as a going concern.

Anapplication for the registration of a food business (opens new window) should be completed by food business operators in respect of new food business establishments. The application should then be received by the relevant Food Authority (meaning Breckland Council) 28 days before commencing food operations. In the case of a change of ownership, the registration form should be completed and returned as soon as possible.

Approved premises

Approved premises are businesses that handle meat or dairy products under certain circumstances. These are generally those who manufacture or wholesale these foods, and require strict regulation.

• Application for approval of a food establishment
• List of approved food premises in Breckland

Business-specific Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) packs

• Caterers
• Retailers/Shops/Local Supermarkets
• Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi & Sri Lankan (In English)
• Chinese (In Cantonese)
• Childminders
• Care Homes (not nursing homes)

Food diary documents

My diary is full. What should I do?

Download the diary or complete it electronically on the FSA website (opens new window). Details can also be found on how to use the food diary.

Translated documents

Opening and closing checks:

• Opening & Closing Checks Mandarin (PDF) [112KB]
• Opening & Closing Checks Turkish (PDF) [80KB]
• Opening & Closing Checks Bengali (PDF) [76KB]
• Opening & Closing Checks Portuguese (PDF) [9KB]

Four weekly review checks:

• 4 Weekly Checks Chinese (PDF) [232KB]
• 4 Weekly Checks Turkish (PDF) [88KB]
• 4 Weekly Checks Bengali (PDF) [44KB]
• 4 Weekly Checks Portuguese (PDF) [16KB]

Low risk food businesses (including voluntary and charity)

For people wanting to set up and run a food business from their own home Breckland Council has produced a guidance booklet [2.5MB] (opens in a new window).

In addition, Breckland has developed a number of checklists for various types of low risk food business. 

These checklists should be used in conjunction with a diary or note of non-conformances. Your Food Safety Officer will advise you further when they inspect you.

• Shops and Stalls selling wrapped low-risk foods only, including Health Foods, Dried Foods, Sweets, Frozen Foods and Chemists, Off-licences, Greengrocers and Farm-gate Sales (PDF) [41KB]
• Playgroups, Pre and After School Groups serving only drinks, biscuits etc and food provided by parents (PDF) [43KB]
• Low Throughput Poultry Slaughterhouses (Less than 10,000 per year) (PDF) [42KB]
• Village Halls, Community Centres not preparing food other than drinks and biscuits etc (PDF) [40KB]
• Bed and Breakfast Premises not serving evening meals (PDF) [41KB]
• Cold stores, warehouses, haulage depots, wholesalers, milk and other distributors, and bases for stalls and mobiles (PDF) [41KB]
• Home Caterers including cake makers (PDF) [45KB]

Who needs to register?

Registration of your food business is free and applies to most businesses. You should complete this 28 days before you begin trading.

You'll need to register your business if you:

• Prepare or sell food or drink (this includes where all food is pre-packed).
• Store and distribute food.
• Are a mobile catering vehicle or market stall (you need to register where you store the food and vehicle).
• Prepare food or drink at home as part of your business (for example, cupcakes or celebration cakes).

If you have multiple premises you will need to register each one.

This requirement may also apply to some charities and voluntary organisations where food is supplied to the public on a regular basis. 

Who doesn't need to register?

You won't need to register if you:

• Are engaged in farming activities.
• Supply only small quantities of farmed products (for example eggs, honey, fruit and vegetables) to the final consumer.
• Only have vending machines.

How can I register?

You canregister your food business by completing the FSA's online application form (opens new window). You will need to provide the following information:

• Your business name (including any limited company and trading name).
• Location of the business (trading address).
• How many people will be working for the business.
• The nature of the business.

Please note: It is an offence to give false or incomplete information. It is also your responsibility to register and notify us of any changes.

Changes you need to tell us

You must tell us if your business closes, or if there is a:

• Change of business activity (for example caterer to manufacturer).
• Change of food business operator.
• Change of company name.
• Change of address for the food business operator, or where you store your mobile food vehicle.

What we do with your information

We have to maintain a list of registered food businesses within the Breckland area. We have to make this list available for inspection by the public if they ask. The list will contain the name, address and type of food business only.

Do you require new business advice, food safety training or consultancy in preparation for starting your new food business?Visit our training courses page orread more advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) (opens new window).

Sale of alcohol

Refer to our Licensing pages if selling alcohol on the premises, or your business includes the provision of late night refreshment - hot food or drink, consumed on or off the premises, between the hours of 23:00 and 05:00 - as you will require a licence.Full definition of 'late night refreshment' available on GOV.UK. (opens new window)

Mobile catering

Advice on mobile catering is available on our website, including food business registration, street trading consent, food safety training programme, and putting a food safety management system in place.

'Change of Use' and Planning Permission

If the food business involves a different type of use of the premises compared to previously, then an application for 'change of use' under planning legislation may need to be made at an early stage.Check if planning permission is required.

You should do this before committing to any significant expense that cannot be recovered (such as changing the internal layout or fitting out the premises). This may also apply if running a food business from your own home, subject to the scale of operation.  

Building regulation approval

Even if Planning Permission is not required, you may still need toapply to Building Control for this type of approval if undertaking building works.

Business Rates

Any new business proposal may affect what amount of business rates may be payable - this could even include your own home if part of the property is to be used for running a business.Find further information about Business Rates.

New business support and business finance options

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