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Approved Premises - Food Business

If you intend to set up business as a caterer or food retail outlet selling directly to the public, you will normally only need to be registered.

If you intend to set up business as a caterer or food retail outlet selling directly to the public, you will normally only need to be registered. However, if you intend to set up a business that manufactures or handles (e.g. slicing and re wrapping) products of animal origin for sale onto other businesses, your premises may have to be approved instead. It is a legal requirement that approval, if needed, is obtained before starting to trade.

To obtain approval, you will need to meet certain standards, relating to both structure and hygiene. This will include the need to have a documented food safety management system to show how you intend to ensure the food you produce is safe.

You will also be required to apply an identification mark to your end product. The identification mark is an oval shaped mark containing a number which is unique to your business and is supplied by your local authority. This mark provides a means of tracing the product back to the place of production/wrapping, and provides confirmation that certain standards have been achieved by that business.

Food of animal origin includes:

  • Meat and poultry whether fresh, frozen or cooked;
  • Meat products, such as pies, sausage rolls, faggots, black pudding and bacon;
  • Raw or partially cooked minced meat or meat preparations such as sausages, burgers, marinated raw meat and kebab meat;
  • Fish and fish products such as fish fingers, prawns, lobsters, crabs and crayfish, whether dead or alive;
  • Live bivalve molluscs;
  • Ready meals containing fish or meat;
  • Milk and dairy products such as butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream;
  • Frogs legs and snails;
  • Rendered animal fats and other animal by-products such as gelatine, collagen, stomachs, bladders and intestines;
  • Honey
  • Blood
  • Gelatine

The above is not an exhaustive list, and because this is quite a complex piece of legislation, it is recommended that you contact us, to speak to an Environmental Health Officer at a very early stage. 

Applying for Approval for a Food Premises

You can apply for food premises approval online, through the Business Link website, by selecting one of the links below:

Alternatively, you can download an application form (see Related Downloads) which can be printed and returned to us at the address above.

The application form also provides a basic list of supporting paperwork which you will need to supply in order for your application to be processed.

Please be advised that you may also need to contact Basildon Council's Planning Services to ascertain whether planning permission is required.

Online applications will be acknowledged by email. Provided your application is correctly made, we will aim to process it within 30 working days.  If this is not possible, we will inform you and provide an explanation as to the reason.

If your application is refused and you wish to appeal please contact us in the first instance.

You must apply for approval and meet the legal standard before you start trading as it is considered to be in the public interest for the local authority to process your application before it is granted. If you have not received a response by the end of the target completion period please contact us at the address above.

If you require any further information, wish to view the public register or have a complaint about this process please contact us.