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Starting a food business – a step-by-step guide

These are the steps you should take when starting a new food business

1

Choosing the right premises

The premises you choose for your business must:

  • comply with the necessary regulations
  • allow you to prepare food safely

You must keep your premises clean and maintained in good repair and condition. Your premises must allow you to follow good food hygiene practices, including protection against contamination and pest control.

Key things to check for:

  • adequate number of wash hand basins suitably located
  • equipment storage and cleaning facilities
  • premises structure (walls, floors, ceilings and surfaces) is easy to clean and is a good condition
  • suitable preparation and workspace large enough to carry out food handling and avoiding cross contamination risks from raw or allergenic foods
  • storage and access of waste facilities
  • food storage facilities
  • suitably pest proofed, no holes or gaps that could allow access or ingress of pests

For more information about what to consider when choosing your premises please see the advice on the food standards agency website

If you are looking at starting a business from home further advice can be found here at the food standards agency website