Food premises registration & approval

Registration of premises used for a food business (including market stalls, delivery vehicles and other movable structures) is required by law. Registration will allow local authorities to keep an up-to date list of all those premises in their area and enable them to visit them when they need to. The frequency of the visits will depend on the type of business. There is also a public register held in the Environmental Health Department.

Who needs to register?

If you run a food business for more than 5 days in any 5 consecutive weeks, you must tell (or arrange for someone else to tell) the local authority about any premises you use for storing, selling, distributing or preparing food. Food premises includes restaurants, hotels, cafés, shops, supermarkets, staff canteens, kitchens in offices, warehouses, guest houses, delivery vehicles, buffets cars on trains, market and other stalls, hot dog and ice cream vans etc.

If you use vehicles for your food business in connection with permanent premises such as a shop or warehouse you only need to tell the local authority how many vehicles you have. You do not need to register each vehicle separately. If you have one or more vehicles but no permanent premises, you must tell the authority where they are normally kept.

Anyone starting a new food business must register with the local authority at least 28 days before doing so.

Exemptions

The majority of premises will have to be registered. However, certain premises are exempt from registration e.g. Some which are already registered for food law purposes, certain agricultural premises, motor cars, tents and marquees (but not stalls), some domestic premises and some village halls. You should contact you local authority if you think you might be exempt.

How do I register?

By filling in the registration form available to download below. Registration cannot be refused and there is no charge. If you use premises in more than one local authority area, you must register with each authority separately.

formApplication form for the submission of food premise registrations. The document also provides a guideline for registration regulations.

Premises Approval

Certain type of food premises, generally manufacturers of products of animal origin, such as dairies, meat product manufacturers or wholesale fish markets are subject to product specific regulations.

These types of premises are required by law to be approved by the local authority and generally their products must display a health mark or be accompanied by a health certificate. Each local authority in the country (and places across the EU) has a unique code which ensures that the origin of the food can always be established.

Once approved, details of the premises together with information relating to types of foods produced are forwarded to The Food Standards Agency (This link will open in a new window) to be kept on a central EU register.

If you require further information or wish to discuss the possibility of approval contact Environmental Services.