Food manufacturers and approved premises
Businesses which process or manufacturer food that is of animal origin and sell to other businesses, not directly to members of the public, may need approval.
Animal origin includes meat, fish, poultry, dairy and eggs.
Approval means food businesses must comply with the relevant food law and the food they produce must carry an identification number so it can be traced back to them.
The majority of food businesses such as caterers and retailers will not require approval.
Approval may be needed if your business does not supply the food directly to the person who is going to consume it and is manufacturing or processing products of animal origin such as:
- Meat (including minced meat, mechanically separated meat and frogs legs and snails)
- Meat products (including gelatine, collagen, rendered animal fats and greaves, treated stomachs, bladders and intestines)
- Dairy (including raw milk)
- Eggs and egg products
- Fish products (including live bivalve molluscs and shell fish)
If you think that your business may need approval please contact us to discuss it as there are some exemptions to this process.
You will need to contact us first to discuss your business plans to see if approval is required.
If after speaking to us your business requires approval, we will send you an application form which you will need to complete and return to us by post or electronically. You must also ensure that the supporting documentation required by section 8 of the form is completed and submitted with the application.
There is no fee for the process.
You cannot operate and produce or supply any food until your food business has been granted full or conditional approval by us.
A site visit will be made so that we can assess compliance with food law. As long as the food business is complying with food law we will issue either conditional or full approval.
Once conditional or full approval has been granted the food business will be issued with an unique approval number which will need to be applied to all food products handled in the premises which are subject to the approval.
You cannot operate and produce or supply food until your food business has been granted full or conditional approval by us.