Registration of a food establishment

Registering

Food businesses must be registered at least 28 days before trading or before the food operations start. Food brokers involved with food distribution or food supply that may operate from an office and not where food is kept must register. Registration also applies to those operating a website that arranges food deliveries. Once registered you may be inspected. If you are already trading and have not registered you need to do so, as soon as possible - registration is free.

Register online via GOV.UK, or via the Application for registration of a food business establishment (PDF document) which must be completed and returned to environmental.health@wokingham.gov.uk. If business registration details are no longer up-to-date changes must be notified. To request an ‘awaiting inspection’ sticker, please email environmental.health@wokingham.gov.uk. 

Information on food safety and hygiene requirements can be found on the Food.gov.uk website.

We maintain a database of food business establishments that have been registered with us.

Approval of a food establishment 

If you handle products of animal origin, like meat, fish, milk and/or eggs and you supply other food businesses, you may need to be approved rather than registered.

Childminders and community and charity food service 

Registration by childminders, who operate from a home address and supply food as part of their business, is not required. The details childminders provide to Ofsted will also be used to register you as a food business. 

If you handle, prepare, store and serve food occasionally and on a small scale, at community and charity events you do not need to register. However, you must make sure that the food you place on the market is safe and that consumers are able to make informed choices and are not misled.