How to Register as a Food Business in the UK

If you're selling food from a farm stall, honesty box, market or online, you almost certainly need to register as a food business. The good news: it's free, takes less than 20 minutes, and you can do it entirely online.

This guide explains who needs to register, how to do it, and what happens afterwards.

Who needs to register?

You need to register as a food business if you sell, cook, store, handle or distribute food regularly as part of a business — even if that business is very small, home-based, or not-for-profit.

For farm and smallholding sellers, this includes:

• Farm shops selling produce direct to customers
• Honesty box stalls selling jams, preserves, baked goods or prepared food
• Market or farmers market stalls
• Online food sales and delivery
• Any regular sale of homemade food including jams, chutneys, cakes or bread

The main exception for small producers is selling unprocessed eggs direct to consumers from a flock of under 50 hens — this doesn't require food business registration on its own. But the moment you add any other food product to your stall, registration is required.

How to register — step by step

Step 1: Find your local council registration form

Food business registration is handled by your local council's Environmental Health department. Go to gov.uk/food-business-registration and enter your postcode to find your local registration form. Most councils now have an online form — some still use a PDF or paper form.

Step 2: Complete the form

The form asks for basic information about your business:

• Your name and contact details
• Business name and address (this can be your home address)
• Type of food business — select the options that apply (retail, catering, manufacturer, etc)
• What food you sell or handle
• Where you operate from — farm, home kitchen, market stall, online

There are no trick questions and no minimum turnover requirement. Fill it in honestly and accurately.

Step 3: Submit and wait

Submit your form and you'll receive a confirmation. Your council must register you within 28 days — you cannot legally be refused registration. Most councils confirm within a few days and some are immediate.

You can start trading as soon as you've submitted your registration — you don't need to wait for confirmation before selling.

What happens after registration?

After registering, an Environmental Health Officer from your local council may visit your premises at some point to carry out a routine inspection. This is normal — don't panic about it. They're checking that you're handling food safely, not looking for reasons to shut you down.

Following an inspection, your business receives a Food Hygiene Rating from 0 to 5. A rating of 5 (Very Good) or 4 (Good) is what most small producers achieve with basic good practice. Displaying your rating builds buyer confidence — especially if you're selling at a stall or market.

Food hygiene basics to have in place

You don't need a commercial kitchen to register or pass an inspection, but you do need to demonstrate that you handle food safely. For most small farm producers this means:

• A clean, dedicated space for preparing and packing food
• Proper handwashing facilities nearby
• Correct temperature storage for perishables
• A basic food safety management system — this can be as simple as the Food Standards Agency's free Safer Food Better Business pack
• Allergen information available for anything you sell

A few practical things worth having in place before an inspection:

• A food probe thermometer — used to check storage and chilling temperatures. Inspectors like to see one in use.
• A cleaning and temperature log book — simple daily records showing you're monitoring hygiene consistently.
• Disposable food prep gloves — basic, cheap, and shows good food handling practice.
• Allergen label stickers — required on any packaged food you sell. Clear allergen labelling is one of the most commonly flagged issues in small producer inspections.

Northern Ireland note

The registration process in Northern Ireland is the same as the rest of the UK — register with your local council through the Food Standards Agency. Food hygiene ratings in Northern Ireland are displayed on a blue and white scheme managed by the FSA rather than the local authority scheme used in England and Wales.