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)
• Food hygiene & Health and Safety training for you and your staff

Finding suitable premises

When you have found suitable premises (remember planning permission or building consultancy approval may be needed if you are making alterations to, or changing the use of, premises).

• email Wychavon's Building Consultancy - building.consultancy@wychavon.gov.uk
• email our Planning Department - planning@wychavon.gov.uk
• email our food safety officers - environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk

One of our food safety officers can call and advise you on the structure and layout as well as issues such as proper food safety procedures and training. To arrange a visit you can email us with your contact details or please call 01386 565015.

• Starting Up - a booklet (.pdf) on setting up a food business from the FSA

Registering your food business with us

At least 28 days before opening you are required by law to register with the local authority.

• Download a Food Business registration form  (84.80 KB)

EC regulations require food business operators to register their premises with the local authority 28 days before opening

Registration is a very simple process and the registration form should only take a few minutes to complete. Download and print a copy of the form above or request a paper copy  from  environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk or call us on 01386 565015 for a copy.

There is no charge to register premises and registration does not need to be renewed periodically. The council cannot refuse to register premises.

Registration provides us with information about the food premises in our area so we can plan our inspections and use our resources effectively. The information will help us to inspect premises that represent a high risk to health more often than those which pose a low risk.

For a list of businesses already registered please visit our Register of Food Premises.

Alcohol and Entertainment:

If you plan to sell alcohol, provide entertainment or sell hot food after 11 pm, you will probably need to be licensed.

Contact our Licensing Unit on 01386 565016 or visit our Licensing pages

Training

For details of our Food Business training please visit our Training page.

Get our useful Information Pack

This covers food safety and health and safety issues and is available by emailing environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk.

Useful Factsheets

Downloadable factsheets on food safety for businesses:

• Cleaning of soft ice cream machines  (103.38 KB)
• Cooked Meat  (116.48 KB)
• Food sampling - short version  (116.08 KB)
• Food sampling - extended version  (119.07 KB)
• Fridge temperature control  (115.47 KB)
• Thermatag data loggers  (118.11 KB)
• Vacuum Packed and Modified Atmosphere Packaged Foods  (114.69 KB)

What you can expect from us

Click here to see how quickly we aim to deal with your enquiries

For more information contact:

Commercial Services Section, Environmental Services,
Wychavon District Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcs. WR10 1PT

Telephone: 01386 565015 - between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday
Fax: 01386 561826
Email: environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk