Registering for a food business

If you run a food business within Charnwood you must tell us about any premises you use for storing, selling, distributing or preparing food.

Anyone starting a new food business must register with us at least 28 days before doing so. You may be fined, imprisoned for up to two years or both if you run a food business without registering. Food premises which will need to register include:

• restaurants, hotels, cafes, shops, supermarkets, staff canteens, kitchens in offices, warehouses, guest houses, delivery vehicles, buffet cars on trains, market and other stalls, hot dog and ice cream vans.

If you use vehicles for your food business in connection with permanent premises such as a shop or warehouse you only need to tell us how many vehicles you have. If you have one or more vehicles but no permanent premises, you must tell the authority where they are normally kept.

• Register for a food business online
• Food hygiene and safety
• Our food business partnership

For help and advice about your application, or to find out if you are exempt from registration, contact the food hygiene and safety team.

Premises approval

If your business involves handling meat, fish, egg or dairy products, you may also need premises approval. You don’t need to be inspected or approved if you sell direct to the public or retailers like caterers, pubs and restaurants, as long as:

• food is less than 25% of your trade
• you don’t handle any wild game meat products
• you don’t sell food outside the county your business is registered in

It is a criminal offense to run unapproved food businesses.

• Register for premises approval online

How do I register?

To register your business you must now apply online.

Registration cannot be refused and there is no charge. Seasonal businesses operating for a certain period each year should give the dates between which they will be open in answer to question seven. It is an offence to give information which you know is false.

What happens next?

Once received, we will enter the details of your registration on a register. A register of addresses and the type of business carried on at each premises will be open to inspection by the general public. Records of the other information provided will not be publicly available.

Once you have registered with us you only need notify us of a change of proprietor, if the nature of the business changes, or if there is a change of the address at which moveable premises are kept. The new proprietor will have to complete an online food business registration form.