Food Premises Registration

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Food premises do not currently require a licence to trade in food. However, under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 Article 6(2), food business operators must register food establishments under their control with the local environmental health department. Food establishments include market stalls, delivery vehicles and other moveable structures.

Registration enables Dundee City Council to keep an up-to-date list of all premises operating in Dundee and all premises are subject to an inspection by an environmental health officer from the Council's Food Safety Team. The frequency of the visits will depend on the type of business.

Who needs to register?

Anyone running a food business must tell the Council about any premises used for storing, selling, distributing or preparing food. Food premises include restaurants, hotels, cafes, shops, supermarkets, staff canteens, kitchens in offices, warehouses, guest houses, delivery vehicles, buffet cars on trains, market and other stalls, hot dog and ice cream vans, etc.

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 the Council 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 the authority where they are normally kept.

Anyone starting a new food business must register with the local authority at least 28 days before doing so.

There are no specific exemptions for food businesses from the need to be registered. However, registration is not required for primary production for private or domestic use or to domestic preparation, handling or storage of food for private domestic consumption.

Bed and breakfast accommodation with less than three letting bedrooms was previously exempt, but changes in the law now mean they have to be registered.

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, for example. The law says that to be considered a food business, there needs to be a certain continuity of activities and a certain degree of organisation.

How to register

By filling in an Application Form for Registration of Food Premises. Registration cannot be refused and there is no charge. The registration form must be sent to the local authority in whose area the food premises are located. If the form is sent to the wrong address, the application will not take effect until it is received at the proper place. If premises are used in more than one local authority area, each premises must be registered with each authority separately.

When completing the application all the boxes which apply to the business must be ticked, all the questions answered and all the information requested must be given. Seasonal businesses operating for a certain period each year should give the dates between which they will be open.

The Food Safety Team will be pleased to answer any questions. It is an offence to give information which you know is false.

What about changes?

Once registered with the local authority, it is only necessary to notify them of a change of proprietor, if the nature of the business changes, or if there is a change of the address at which moveable premises are kept. The new proprietor will have to complete a Food Premises Registration Form.

Download the Food Premises Registration Form here (28KB MS Word doc).

Food Safety Section
1 Highland Chief Way
Claverhouse West Industrial Park
Dundee, DD4 9UA Map
Tel: 01382 436260
Fax: 01382 436226
Email: food.safety@dundeecity.gov.uk

« Food Safety in Dundee

This information is provided by the Environmental Health and Trading Standards Department