The UK food business compliance checklist.

Before you open: registration and licences

Register your food business with the local authority at least 28 days before you start trading. Registration is free and cannot be refused, which is exactly why skipping it looks so bad: there is no barrier, so an unregistered business reads as one that never engaged with the system at all.

Selling alcohol adds a second, separate regime under the Licensing Act 2003: the premises needs a premises licence, alcohol sales must be made by or under the authority of a personal licence holder, and the premises licence must name a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence.

Day to day: HACCP and training

Every food business must run a written food safety management system based on HACCP principles: identifying where things can go wrong, and what you do about it. For small businesses the FSA publishes ready-made packs (Safer Food, Better Business) that satisfy this without a consultant.

On training, the law is more subtle than most people think: no certificate is legally required, but food handlers must be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene appropriate to their role. A course certificate is the easiest evidence, but the duty is the training, not the paper.

Allergens: the rule that changed in 2021

Since October 2021, under Natasha’s Law, food prepacked for direct sale needs a full ingredient list with the 14 regulated allergens emphasised. That catches the grab-and-go fridge: sandwiches, salads and wraps made on site and packed before order. For food sold loose or made to order, allergen information for the 14 allergens must still be available to the customer.

Inspection and your rating

Your Food Hygiene Rating follows the local authority’s inspection. Displaying the sticker is legally required in Wales and Northern Ireland; in England display is voluntary, but customers and delivery platforms check ratings anyway, so a low score costs trade whether or not it is on the door.

The most common gaps we see: registering late or not at all, a food safety management system that exists but was never written down, and prepacked-for-direct-sale items missing full ingredient labels.