Food and drink

If you’re planning to produce, store or sell food or drink, you will need to register with your local authority and ensure that you are meeting all statutory requirements, including having an appropriate food safety management system in place. Food safety laws are enforced by your local environmental health team.

Embarking on the journey of starting and running a food-related business demands a careful approach to ensure not only success but, more importantly, the safety and satisfaction of your customers.

From the inception of your business, it is crucial to follow a set of well-informed practices. Here are our top tips to kickstart your journey.

By prioritising these tips, you lay a solid foundation for a successful and responsible food business.

Top tips

• Register your business at least 28 days before you start trading.  
  
• Implement a suitable food safety management system which may include records of your procedures and monitoring checks.  
  
• Decide what type of food hygiene training is required for you and your employees and make sure it is delivered and refreshed when needed.  
  
• Make sure your premises is a suitable size and construction, clean, well-lit and protected from pests.  
  
• Ensure you and your employees understand how to clean, disinfect and sanitise your work area appropriately.  
  
• Make sure you have procedures in place for the correct storage and transportation of food. Your procedures must include monitoring of temperature control points.  
  
• Understand how to prevent contamination of food and ensure employees follow food safety procedures.  
  
• Ensure food is labelled in line with legal requirements, and that consumers are not misled  
  
• Understand the legal requirements around allergens and provide information for your customers in line with legal requirements.  
  
• Understand any legal or compositional requirements which apply to the foods you produce.  
  
• Seek specialist advice before using any health or nutrition claims on foods.

What to do next

If you have any questions about your food and drink business or you are thinking about starting up and you’d like some guidance on where to begin, please either complete our contact us form or email [email protected].

Register your food business

If you would like to register your food business, please consult the relevant webpages of your local authority.

• Bolton Council: Food business registration
• Bury Council: Register for a food business
• Manchester City Council: Food premises registration
• Oldham Council: Register a food business
• Rochdale Borough Council: Food business registration 
• Salford City Council: Registering a food business 
• Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council: Food business registration 
• Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council: Notes on registration of food premises 
• Trafford Council: Food premises registration 
• Wigan Council Food premises registration 

Other useful links and guides

• Food Standards Agency: Starting your food business safely
• Business Companion food and drink guide
• Food labelling: giving food information to consumers
• BCS guide - Information pack for new businesses
• BCS guide - Single use plastics (PDF)
• BCS guide - What to expect from your food hygiene inspection (PDF)
• BCS guide - Home Cake Makers (PDF)