Starting a food business

If you are thinking of opening a food business you will need to consider:

• .Finding suitable premises
• .Registering your business with us (free of charge)
• .Alcohol, entertainment and street trading  
• .Complying with food safety and health and safety requirements

Finding suitable premises

When you have found suitable premises (remember planning permission or building regulation approval may be needed if you are making alterations to, or changing the use of, premises) you are strongly recommended to get in touch with the food team at Bromsgrove District Council to discuss what you are proposing and to seek some advice on what the law requires and how the council will enforce the law that will apply to your business. Altering a business to comply with legal requirements after you have opened could cost you more money.

It makes good business sense to comply with food safety requirements from the beginning and to serve food that is safe to eat – good food hygiene helps prevent food poisoning and protects your reputation with customers.

One of our environmental health officers would be pleased to call and advise you about the structure and layout of your business as well as issues such as food safety procedures and training.

Contact details are:

.Link to Development Control

.Link to Building Control

.Link to contact details for food team

Registering your business with us

If you are starting a new food business within the district you must, by law, register your premises with the environmental health service at Bromsgrove District Council at least 28 days before opening – registration is free.

Registration is very straightforward. You can download a registration application form from here which can be completed and emailed, faxed or posted to the food team in the environmental health department. Further information is available here.

Alcohol, Entertainment and Street Trading

If you plan to sell alcohol, provide entertainment, sell hot food between 11.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m. or trade from a mobile vehicle parked in the district you will probably need to be licensed. Please speak to our licensing team:

Link to licensing team 

Complying with food safety and health and safety requirements

When starting a new food business it is very important to get things right at the start because it will make it much easier for you to run your business well in the future.

In addition to obtaining advice from the food team a useful booklet has been produced by the Food Standards Agency ‘Starting Up – Your first step to running a catering business’. This is available here in English or in other languages via the Agency’s website.

Checklist for starting up

A basic checklist of items you may need to consider is detailed below.  

• .Have you registered your premises?
• .Do the design and construction of your premises meet legal requirements?
• .Have you put food safety management procedures in place and are you keeping up-to-date records of these?
• .Do you and your staff understand the principles of good food hygiene?
• .Have you considered health and safety and fire safety arrangements?
• .Have you registered as self-employed?
• .Do you need to register for VAT?
• .Are you keeping records of all your business income and expenses?
• .Are you keeping records of your employees’ pay and do you know how to pay their tax and National
• .Insurance contributions?
• .Do you describe food and drink accurately?
• .Do you need to apply for a licence to sell alcohol, for entertainment, for selling hot food and drink late at night, or selling food on the street?

Do you need any further information?

If you need any further information in relation to complying with food safety or health and safety requirements please contact the food safety team at Bromsgrove District Council. Contact details are: 

Telephone: 01527-881288

E-mail us at: commercial-regulation@bromsgrove.gov.uk  

Our address is: Worcestershire Regulatory Services, The Council House, Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove, B60 1AA