Food premises registration

Who needs to register

Anyone running a food business must tell us about any premises used for storing, selling, distributing or preparing food. Food premises include:

  • Restaurants and cafes
  • Hotels and guest houses
  • Shops
  • Staff canteens and kitchens
  • Warehouses
  • Delivery vehicles
  • Buffet cars on trains
  • Market and other stalls
  • Food and ice cream vans

Register food premises

It is not necessary to register if food is being handled at a one-off event or if food is prepared occasionally for coffee mornings or charity functions. We do recommend that advice is sought from Environmental Health regarding the safe handling and production of food. If anyone uses a vehicle for a food business in connection with permanent premises such as a shop or warehouse, it is only necessary to tell us how many vehicles are used in the business. It is not necessary to register each vehicle separately.

If a food business uses one or more vehicles but there are no permanent premises, the food business operator must tell us where they are normally kept.