If a business involves food, the food must be safe to eat and properly packaged. A business selling food directly to the public must display its food hygeine rating. If you accidentally sell or provide unsafe food, it must be withdrawn, and you should complete an incident report and tell people why it has been withdrawn, for example by using a leaflet or poster. You must also keep records on where you source food from and be able to show this on demand (for more details of requirements for traceability of food, see here). For further information on food safety requirements, see here.

Packaging requirements are strict, for both catering businesses and shops selling pre-packaged food.

• If you run a catering business, sell food loose or package it for sale in your shop, in most cases you only need to provide details of the name of the food, any irradiated or genetically modified ingredients, any additives, and certain warnings and allergen information.
• If you sell pre-packaged food, there are further labelling requirements. You must make sure the food is of the same quality that you are labelling and presenting it as, and you must not mislead people about the food through labelling or advertising. The label must be clear, visible, permanent, and easy to read and understand. The label should contain the name of the food, a “best before” date, a list of ingredients, any necessary warnings (e.g., allergens, alcoholic content), and the name and address of the UK business responsible for the food. You must also state the net quantity of packaged food over 5g or 5ml. For certain meat, fish and other products, you must also show the country of origin. Many other rules apply, and full details of what information must be on a label, where it must be displayed, and how food must be packaged is available here. Some rules are likely to change after Brexit (from 1 January 2021), for further information on post-Brexit food labelling see here.

Next up: HAACP Food Plan