The information within this guide will help catering businesses meet their legal obligations and ensure food safety. Topics include structural requirements for businesses, food safety procedures, food hygiene training and many more. The full guidance is available here.

You must ensure that anyone who handles food within your business is supervised and instructed and or trained to a level which is appropriate for the work that they do. The training should be equivalent to level 2 in food hygiene.

They must know how to make sure that food is handled, prepared and served without the risk of food being contaminated or causing food poisoning.

The Food Standards Agency has produced a series of short food safety coaching videos showing you how to keep food safe.

Food management is about the procedures and systems you have put into place to make sure the food your business is producing is safe to eat.

Food businesses must put into place procedures based upon Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). These procedures must be documented (recorded in writing) and up to date records relating to these procedures must be kept. Procedures must be reviewed on a regular basis or if there are any changes to the business.

The Food Standards Agency has produced a document called 'Safer Food, Better Business' to help businesses meet this requirement. Safer food, better business information packs are available for:

• Caterers
• Retailers
• Indian cuisine
• Chinese cuisine
• Childminders
• Residential care homes
• Teaching resources for colleges

For each individual pack, you can download the full pack or download specific sections as you need them. You can also purchase printed copies from online marketplaces.

You must complete the document to reflect your food safety procedures, including details of who supplies your ingredients and any business you supply with your products.

You can also use the diary section at the back of the pack to record your opening and closing checks. Diary refills are also available to download and print.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) national guidance sets consistent standards for food safety, health and safety, and environmental health requirements at outdoor and mobile catering operations. It supports local authorities, event organisers, and food businesses in understanding expectations, reducing risk, and promoting good practice at events ranging from village fetes to major festivals. There is a food safety checklist on page 47 to help you set up your stall or mobile.

There is currently no street trading licensing scheme in force for either South Norfolk or Broadland Councils. However, wherever you set up your stall or mobile, you must ensure you have the landowner's permission and do not cause an obstruction or nuisance to residents or neighbouring businesses. 

Food businesses must follow the E.coli O157 guidance produced by the Food Standards Agency. Please visit the Food Standards Agency website to view the E.Coli O157 guidance document

Chilled foods must be kept at 8^oC or below, an air temperature of 5^oC or below should help keep foods at the correct temperature. Cooked or reheated foods must reach 70^oC for 2 minutes or 75^oC for 30 seconds or equivalent. Hot food must then be kept above 63^oC until served.

If using a temperature probe to check the temperature of foods, it must be cleaned using antibacterial probe wipes as part of a two stage clean. Checks will also need to be done to make sure the probe is working correctly. A simple way to check would be to put in iced water, the probe should read between 1^oC and -1^oC, and into boiling water, the probe should read between 99^oC and 101^oC.

Cold food can be kept outside temperature control for one single period of up to four hours. After this time the food needs to be returned to below 8^oC or thrown away. This food cannot be stored outside temperature control again.

Hot food can be stored below 63^oC for one single period of up two hours. After this time it needs to be returned to above 63^oC or below 8^oC. It cannot be stored outside temperature control again.

If using either of these temperature exemptions there must be a documented safe procedure in place.

A manufacturers use by date is the date the manufacturer guarantees the product’s safety. It is a criminal offence to sell or use any food past the use by date. You must check your fridges on a daily basis to ensure that food past the use by date is not stored and is thrown away.

Ideally you should not freeze foods with a use by date. If caterers freeze food with a use by date there must be a safe procedure in place to ensure the use by date of the food is not extended. The food must be frozen before the use by date expires and be clearly marked with the date of freezing and the date of defrosting.

Businesses must also follow the manufacturers instructions for the storage and use of food. Many foods have a use by date which becomes active once opened and must be followed.

As a general rule, food prepared by a business should be given a maximum shelf life of the day of production plus 2 days. To ensure food is not used past this date a date labelling system should be used.

Further information on shelf life is available from the Food and Drink Federation Industry Guidance on Setting Product Shelf Life

Allergen labelling rules require food businesses that provide non-pre-packed foods or loose foods to identify any allergenic ingredients.

The Trading Standards team provide guidance relating to labelling and allergen information.

Allergen guidance, including menu charts and online training, is available from the Food Standards Agency's website.

British Standard BS 6465-1:2006 provides guidance for the required number of toilets, depending on the use of the premises.

Toilets must not open directly onto food preparation areas.

Please contact us to discuss how many toilets you need.

Domestic kitchens can be used for a catering business. Your business will be included in the Council’s routine food hygiene inspection programme. The following information will help you comply with food hygiene legislation.

Before trading as a home caterer, you must understand the basic principles of food hygiene and the safe handling of food. A formal qualification is not a legal requirement but having a Level 2 Food Safety in Catering Certificate, or equivalent, is recommended.

You will need to register your business with us but there is no fee for this process.

Food safety management

Some of the most common causes of food poisoning are:

• poor storage
• inappropriate temperature control
• inadequate cleaning
• not separating raw and ready to eat foods.

You must:

• identify steps in your business that are critical to ensuring food safety
• having identified those steps you must ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented, maintained and reviewed in order to control the potential food hazards.

These controls may include temperature control, cleaning, avoiding cross contamination, thorough cooking of food, personal hygiene.

Make sure you use reputable suppliers and have full traceability in place.

Consider how you will be transporting food to your customers.

This process will form your Food Safety Management System. High risk food businesses are required to have a written food safety management system.

The Foods Standards Agency has produced a document called ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ to help businesses complete this task. Versions are available for different types of catering.

Visit the Food Standards Agency to download a copy of ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ and the diary refill pages. For low-risk home caterers such as cake makers, you may wish to use the simplified cake makers guidance document. Alternatively you can produce your own written food safety procedures.

If you handle/prepare raw meat or items potentially contaminated with soil in your kitchen at any time you must have regard to the Food Standards Agency E. coli guidance when using the kitchen to prepare/handle food in connection with your business. It is important to store and prepare food safely and clean correctly to prevent cross-contamination. Visit the Food Standards Agency's E. coli cross-contamination guidance. The guidance focuses on E. coli but the steps taken to avoid cross contamination will also help control other foodborne bacteria.

Antibacterial / disinfectant products must meet the official standards of BS EN 1276:1997, BS EN 13697:2001 or equivalent. You can normally check on the bottle that it meets this standard or you will need to contact the manufacturer.

Your kitchen

Domestic kitchens are not designed for commercial use. The way you use your kitchen may need to be altered for the business activities.

A dedicated wash basin must be available for handwashing. This may be a small half-bowl attached to a sink or one side of a double sink used solely as the handwash basin. It must have hot and cold running water, liquid soap and a hygienic method of hand drying. If neither a half-bowl nor a double sink is available, it may be acceptable to use the main kitchen sink for handwashing, provided a separate bowl is used within the sink exclusively for washing equipment.

Toilets or bathrooms must not open directly on to the kitchen.

Amongst the things to consider are the following –

You must ensure that:

• there are sufficient sinks for cleaning equipment and washing food
• you have adequate space, worktops and separate equipment/utensils to prevent cross contamination. Raw and ready to eat foods must be strictly separated
• you have enough storage and refrigeration space for the volumes of food you intend to produce
• family use of the kitchen (for example, by children, pets or other people) is separate from business use. You will need to make sure other domestic activities (such as laundry) do not compromise food safety
• your kitchen is kept free from pests, rodents and other sources of contamination.

Allergen information

Allergen labelling rules require food businesses that provide non-pre-packed foods or loose foods to identify any allergenic ingredients. 

The Business Companion provides guidance relating to labelling and allergen information.

Allergen guidance, including menu charts and online training, can be found on the Food Standards Agency website.

Please contact the Food and Safety team if you require further information by email at [email protected].

All businesses must have arrangements in place to dispose of their commercial waste.

Commercial waste is any rubbish which is generated through a business.

Waste must be stored in suitable containers to stop it from escaping the control of the business.

Businesses must either:

• arrange to have a trade waste contract where rubbish is collected by an authorised waste carrier
• take waste to an authorised site for disposal themselves.

If you are taking waste to an authorised site yourself you must register as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency, even if you are only transporting your own waste. Further information is available from the Environment Agency website.

When you dispose of your waste a waste transfer note will be issued, these need to be kept for a minimum of two years.

It is against the law for businesses to place any commercial waste into residential bins.

You can view the latest news and alerts from the Food Standard Agency.