Starting up

Your first steps to running a catering business

Starting up
This booklet is for people setting up a restaurant, café or other
catering business, whether you are taking over a business that already
exists or starting a new one.

It is very important to get things right at the start, because this will
make it much easier for you to run your business well in the future.
This booklet tells you about the main things you need to consider.
Contents

1 Where you work 2

2 Staff, suppliers and transport 6

3 Food hygiene 8

4 Rules about menus 15

5 Paperwork and finances 17

6 Law 19

7 Further information 21

8 Index 23

Key

These symbols are used throughout the booklet.

legal requirement

good practice tip

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 1 Where you work

Registering food premises

If you are planning to start a new catering business, you must register
your premises with the environmental health service at your local
authority at least 28 days before opening.

This is a legal requirement under the Food Premises (Registration)

Regulations 1991 and applies to most types of food business,
including catering businesses run from home, and mobile or
temporary premises such as stalls and burger vans. Contact your local
authority for information on how to register.

If food premises are used by several catering businesses (for example,

a village hall or conference centre), the person who allows the
premises to be used for this purpose is responsible for registering
them. However, if you use your own premises for a catering business,
you must register them, even if you use other premises too.

You might also need to register as self-employed and/or register for

VAT (see page 17). These registration processes are completely
separate from registering your food premises.

Remember that you might need planning permission to alter premises.

And you will also need to pay business rates on most premises.
Contact your local authority for information on these matters.

Rules about premises

When you choose the premises for your business, it is very important
to make sure that they:

meet the necessary regulations

are suitable for the purpose of your business
allow you to prepare food safely

The following rules apply to your whole premises, not just the areas
used for preparing food.

Design and construction

The premises you use must be designed and built in a way that allows
you to keep the place clean and to work hygienically. They must also
be designed to keep out pests, such as flies and rats.

2
Handwashing facilities and toilets
Your premises must have enough washbasins for staff to wash their
hands. (This is as well as sinks in food areas for washing food and
cleaning equipment – see page 4.) There must also be enough toilets
and these must not lead directly into food areas.

Washbasins
Basins for washing hands must have hot and cold running water. And
you must provide soap and materials for drying hands hygienically,
such as disposable towels.

Changing facilities
You must provide adequate facilities for staff to change their clothes,
where necessary.

Waste
You must make adequate arrangements for food waste and other
types of rubbish to be stored and removed.

There are rules about the way certain types of food waste must be
collected and disposed of. Contact your local authority for more
information.

Water supply
There must be an adequate supply of drinking water at your premises.

Other requirements
Your premises must also have adequate ventilation, lighting and
drainage.

For more information, read Food safety regulations, which is

published by the Food Standards Agency, or contact the
environmental health service at your local authority.

Food preparation areas

All these rules apply to rooms where food is prepared.

Floors, walls and surfaces

Floors and walls, and surfaces in contact with food, must be in a
‘sound condition’. They must be easy to clean and (where necessary)
to disinfect.

In practice, this means that floors, walls and surfaces should be

smooth, hard-wearing, washable and in a good state of repair.

3
 Ceilings
Ceilings must be designed and constructed in a way that prevents
condensation, build-up of dirt, moulds, and shedding of particles.

In practice, this means that ceilings should be in good condition,

smooth and easy to clean, with no flaking paint or plaster.

Windows
Windows and any other openings must be designed and built in a
way that prevents dirt building up. Windows that can be opened to
the outside must be fitted with insect-proof screens, where necessary.

Doors
Doors must be easy to clean and, where necessary, to disinfect.

Equipment
All equipment that comes into contact with food must be kept in
good repair and be made in a way that allows it to be cleaned
thoroughly and, where necessary, to be disinfected.

Facilities for cleaning equipment

Your premises must have adequate facilities for cleaning and
disinfecting any tools, utensils and equipment used in the premises.
There must be an adequate supply of hot and cold water.

Facilities for washing food

You must have a separate sink for washing food (not the same one
used for equipment and utensils) if unwrapped food is handled as
part of your business. There must be an adequate supply of hot
and/or cold water of drinking quality.

Remember

Always use basins and sinks for the right purpose. Staff should
wash their hands in basins that are used just for washing hands.
They should never wash their hands in a sink used for cleaning
equipment or a sink used for washing food.

Equipment should be cleaned in a sink used just for that

purpose. And food should be washed in a sink used just for
washing food.

4
Health and safety
You must work in a way that protects the health and safety of your
employees and other people who might be affected by what you do.
If you have five or more employees, you must have a written health
and safety policy, which describes your health and safety arrangements.

For more information, see the Small Business Service publication,

Small Firms: Health and Safety (for ordering details see page 21) or
contact the Health and Safety Executive at www.hse.gov.uk or on
08701 545 500.

Fire safety
You must carry out a fire risk assessment at your premises and take
fire safety precautions to help protect you, your staff and customers.
The type of precautions you must have will depend on a number of
things, such as the size of your premises. For advice, contact your
local fire authority.

If you are planning to adapt premises, it is a good idea to get fire

safety advice before you start the work.

For more information, see Fire safety: An employer’s guide. You can
view this publication online on the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister’s website (www.odpm.gov.uk), or order it from HSE Books at
www.hsebooks.co.uk or on 01787 881165.

Mobile/temporary premises
If you run a food business from mobile or temporary premises, you
need to know about the same hygiene issues as other food
businesses. Because space is limited, the legal requirements are
slightly different and allow greater flexibility.

For more information, contact the environmental health service at

your local authority. Mobile and/or temporary premises include
marquees, stalls and burger vans.

If the premises you use are only used occasionally (such as village
halls), the law also allows some flexibility. Remember, mobile and/or
temporary premises still need to be registered – see Registering food
premises on page 2.

5
 2 Staff, suppliers and transport

Recruiting and training staff

Reliable and responsible staff are important for any business. If
possible, it is a good idea to recruit staff with some catering
experience and/or training.

You must make sure that any member of staff who handles food has
adequate supervision, instruction and/or training in food hygiene for
the work they do.

So, when you hire a member of staff, you should make sure they
understand the main food hygiene issues before they start work. See
the 4 Cs on pages 8 to 11. And you (or the manager/supervisor) will also
need to explain to them how to do their individual job hygienically.

It is a good idea for you and your staff to go on a food hygiene

course. Short courses in food hygiene are available at three main
levels: foundation, intermediate and advanced. National vocational
qualifications (NVQs) in food preparation also cover food safety.

For more information about training, visit the Food Standards

Agency’s ‘Safer food, better business’ website at
www.food.gov.uk /cleanup or contact your local training provider.

Tip

It is a good idea to keep a record of any training you or your

staff have done, because then you will be able to show this to
environmental health officers when they visit your premises.

Suppliers
Your choice of supplier is important because their reliability, and the
safety and quality of the food they supply, could affect your
business. It is especially important that the products you buy have
been stored, processed and treated safely. When food is delivered,
check that:

it is what you ordered

chilled and frozen food is cold enough (ideally below 5oC for
chilled food, and below -18oC for frozen)
packaging is not damaged

6
If you have any concerns about the safety of the delivery do not
accept it, or put it on one side until you return it to the supplier.
Make sure it is clearly marked to avoid staff using it accidentally.

It is a good idea to keep a record of what products you receive from

which supplier. Then you will be able to contact the supplier later if
there are any problems with the product.

Transport
When you transport food – perhaps from your premises to another
venue, or from the cash-and-carry to your premises – you must prevent
it from becoming contaminated, for example with dirt or bacteria.

It is especially important to make sure that:

food is transported in packaging or containers that protect it from

contamination
chilled foods are kept at the right temperature (some businesses
use cool bags and boxes, or refrigerated vans)
raw and ready-to-eat foods are kept apart

Vehicles used to transport food must be kept clean and in good repair.

7
 3 Food hygiene

Good food hygiene is essential to make sure that the food you serve
is safe to eat. And it makes good business sense because good
hygiene helps prevent food poisoning and protects your reputation
with customers.

When you are setting up a catering business, it is a good opportunity

to introduce ways of working that will help you ensure good hygiene
right from the start.

The four main things to remember for good hygiene are the 4 Cs:

Cleaning
Cooking
Chilling
Cross-contamination

You can use the 4 Cs to help you prevent the most common food
safety problems. The following sections explain how you can use
each one.

Cleaning
Effective cleaning gets rid of bacteria on hands, equipment and
surfaces. So it helps to stop bacteria from spreading onto food. You
should do the following things.

Make sure that all your staff wash and dry their hands thoroughly
before handling food.
Clean food areas and equipment between different tasks, especially
after handling raw food.
Clean as you go. If you spill some food, clear it up straight away
and then clean the surface thoroughly.
Use cleaning products that are suitable for the job, and follow the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Do not let food waste build up.

8
 Tip

A cleaning schedule is a good way to make sure that surfaces

and equipment are cleaned when they need to be. It can also
help to stop cleaning products being wasted or used incorrectly.

Work out what needs cleaning every day, or more than once a
day, and what needs cleaning less frequently. Your schedule
should show:

what needs to be cleaned

who is responsible for doing the cleaning
how often it needs to be done
how the cleaning should be done

It is a good idea to include cleaning instructions showing:

what cleaning products should be used
how the products should be used, including how much they
should be diluted and how long they should be left in contact
with the surface (following the manufacturer’s instructions)
how the products should be stored (in a special place away
from food)

Remember

Keep dish cloths and tea towels clean and replace them
frequently. Otherwise they could spread bacteria.

Lack of basic cleanliness is one of the most common reasons for

food businesses being prosecuted.

Cooking
Thorough cooking kills harmful bacteria in food. So it is extremely
important to make sure that food is cooked properly. Undercooked
food could cause food poisoning.

When cooking or reheating food, always check that it is piping hot all
the way through (and do not reheat more than once).

It is especially important to make sure that you thoroughly cook

poultry, pork, rolled joints and products made from minced meat, such

9
 as burgers and sausages. This is because there could be bacteria in the
middle of these types of meat. Proper cooking is essential to kill any
bacteria, so these types of meat should not be served pink or rare.

Whole cuts (such as steaks) or joints of beef or lamb can be served

pink/rare at the customer’s request.

Keeping food hot

When you are keeping cooked food hot, you must keep it
above 63˚C. When you are serving or displaying food, it can
be below 63˚C for a maximum of two hours. But you can only
do this once. Then you must throw the food away, or cool it
as quickly as possible and keep it chilled until it is used.

Tip

Of course, different dishes need different cooking times. If you

work out the temperature and time you need to cook a
particular dish in your oven, you can use these settings and
times to cook the dish in the future.

But remember, ovens and other equipment can vary and go

wrong, so you will need to check regularly that these settings
and times are still right to cook dishes properly.

Chilling
Chilling food properly stops bacteria from growing and multiplying.
Some foods need to be kept chilled to keep them safe, for example
food with a ‘Use by’ date, food that you have cooked and will not
serve immediately, or other ready-to-eat food such as prepared salads.

It is very important not to leave these types of food standing around

at room temperature. So, make sure you do the following things.

Check chilled food on delivery to make sure it is cold.

Put food that needs to be chilled in the fridge straight away.
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and then put it in
the fridge.
Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible
during preparation.
Check regularly that your fridge and display units are cold enough.

10
 Keeping food cold

Cold food must be kept at 8˚C or below, under the Food Safety
(Temperature Control) Regulations 1995.

In practice, the coldest part of your fridge should be between

0˚C and 5˚C to make sure that food is kept cold enough. Use a
fridge thermometer to check regularly that your fridge and any
display units are cold enough.

Tip

Food will cool more quickly if you divide it into smaller

amounts and put it in shallow dishes.

Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is when bacteria spread between food,
surfaces or equipment. It is most likely to happen when raw food
touches (or drips onto) ready-to-eat food, equipment or surfaces.

So, if raw meat drips onto a cake in the fridge, bacteria will spread
from the meat to the cake.

If you cut raw chicken on a chopping board, bacteria will spread from
the chicken to the board and knife. If you then use the same board
and knife (without washing them thoroughly) to chop a cucumber,
the bacteria will spread from the board and knife to the cucumber.

Hands can also spread bacteria. If you touch raw food and do not
wash your hands thoroughly you can spread bacteria to the other
things you touch.

Cross-contamination is one of the most common causes of food

poisoning. Do the following things to avoid it.

Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart at all times.

Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw food.
Clean work surfaces, chopping boards and equipment thoroughly
before you start preparing food and after you have used them to
prepare raw food.
Ideally, use different chopping boards and knives for raw and
ready-to-eat food.
Keep raw food below ready-to-eat food in the fridge. If possible,
use separate fridges for raw and ready-to-eat food.
Make sure that your staff know how to avoid cross-contamination.

11
 Food safety management
Everyone who runs a food business needs to manage food safety
properly, to make sure that the food they serve or sell is safe to eat.
Effective food safety management involves:

thinking about your food preparation arrangements

working out what could go wrong
putting procedures in place to stop things going wrong
making regular checks to make sure the procedures are working
and are being followed

Look at every stage of your business, from when the food is delivered
to when you serve or sell it to your customer. Think about what food
safety problems there could be at each stage. The most common
food safety problems can be controlled by good food hygiene – the
4 Cs. Remember, different dishes might have different problems.

It is a good idea for you or your staff to keep records of your main
safety checks. This will help you see if something is going wrong and
put it right straight away. The records will also help you show
environmental health officers what you are doing to ensure good
food hygiene and obey the law. For example, you could make a note
when you check the following things:

cooking times and temperatures

dates on food
cleaning schedules
fridge temperatures
pest controls

If you would like more information about how to identify food safety
problems and control them, contact the environmental health service
at your local authority.

Personal hygiene and illness

To keep food safe, it is essential for you and your staff to have high
standards of personal hygiene. It is particularly important to wash
and dry hands regularly, especially:

before starting work

before starting a new task
after touching raw food, especially meat or poultry
after a break
after going to the toilet
after emptying a bin

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 Handwashing

Although most people know they should wash their hands before
handling food, many people still do not do it. And bacteria can
spread easily from hands to food and surfaces. So, make
handwashing a habit in your business right from the start.

To wash hands thoroughly, use warm water and soap. Work up

a lather and rub your palms, backs of hands, fingers and thumbs.
Then rinse with clean water and dry using a disposable towel
or hot-air dryer.

Staff working with food should:

wear clean clothes and an apron or protective garment

cover cuts or sores with clean waterproof dressings
wash hands after blowing their nose or touching their face or hair
tie long hair back or wear a hairnet

They should not:

cough or sneeze over food

smoke in food areas
wear jewellery, such as rings or earrings, nail varnish, or false nails

If you or one of your staff has symptoms of food poisoning, such as

diarrhoea, vomiting or stomach pains, they must not handle food and
must leave food preparation areas straight away.

Make sure that your staff tell you (or a manager/supervisor) if they
have any type of illness or skin condition. If you are not sure whether
someone should be working with food, ask for advice from a doctor
or environmental health officer straight away. You can find more
information in Food handlers: fitness to work, which is published by
the Food Standards Agency.

Storage
It is very important to store food properly to keep it safe. Make sure
you do the following things.

Keep foods in the fridge if they need to be chilled – see Chilling

on page 10.

13
 Store raw food apart from ready-to-eat food – see
Cross-contamination on page 11.
Never use food after the ‘Use by’ date, because it might not be
safe to eat.
If you save cooked food to be eaten later, cool it quickly, put it in
the fridge and use within two days – it is a good idea to date food,
using stickers you can write on, so you always know how old food is.
Check food with a short shelf-life every day to make sure it is still
within its ‘Use by’ date.
Follow any storage instructions on food packaging.
Store dried foods (such as grains and pulses) off the floor, ideally
in sealable containers, to allow proper cleaning and protect them
from pests.

Stock rotation

Remember the rule first in, first out to make sure that older
food is used first. This will help to prevent waste.

When you put food in the fridge or storeroom, make sure the
foods with a sooner ‘Use by’ or ‘Best before’ date are at the
front of the shelf, so they are used first.

Inspections
Environmental health officers will inspect your premises to make sure
you are following food hygiene rules. They might come on a routine
inspection, or visit because of a complaint. Usually, they will not tell
you in advance that they are coming.

How often your business is routinely inspected will depend on the

type of business and its previous record. Some premises might be
inspected at least every six months, others much less often.

The environmental health officers will offer help and advice on food
safety, and can take action if they find that your standards of food
hygiene are not good enough. In serious cases, action might include
closing the premises or prosecution.

The Food Standards Agency leaflet, Food law inspections and your
business, explains the inspection process and your rights of appeal if
you are unhappy with the way an inspection has been carried out.

14
 4 Rules about menus

Displaying prices
When you sell food or drink for people to eat or drink on the
premises, you must make the prices clear, for example on a price list
or menu. You must include VAT in the prices when appropriate (see
Charging VAT below).

If you add a service charge (a percentage or amount), or if there is a

minimum charge, you must display this with as much prominence as
the other prices.

Charging VAT
Whether or not you need to include VAT in your prices, and what
rate of VAT, depends on a number of different things. In general,
businesses selling food or drink that is ready to eat or drink should
charge VAT at the standard rate.

But businesses that have a turnover (not just profit) below the
‘registration threshold’ do not need to be VAT registered, and
therefore do not need to charge VAT. See VAT registration on page 17.

For businesses that are VAT registered, these are some of the main
rules. If you sell food or drink to be consumed on your premises, or if
you supply hot takeaway food, you must charge VAT at the standard
rate on these products.

Normally, you do not need to charge VAT on cold takeaway food and
drink, but there are some products where standard-rate VAT always
applies, such as crisps, sweets and bottled water.

Sometimes caterers that supply food to a school or hospital do not

have to charge VAT.

For more information about when you need to charge VAT, contact
Customs and Excise on 0845 010 9000 or visit www.hmce.gov.uk.

Describing food
You must describe food and drink accurately on menus, blackboards
and adverts. Any illustrations must accurately represent the food you
are selling. Descriptions and illustrations must not be misleading.

Descriptions like ‘fresh’, ‘home-made’ and ‘suitable for vegetarians’

can easily be used misleadingly. Visit the Food Standards Agency
website www.food.gov.uk, or contact the trading standards service at

15
 your local authority, for advice on how to make sure your
descriptions do not mislead.

Products described as ‘sausages’ or ‘burgers’ on menus must contain a

minimum amount of meat, by law. Contact the trading standards
service at your local authority for more information.

Labelling food
Usually, catering businesses do not have to label food. But if the food
contains ingredients that are irradiated, or derived from genetically
modified (GM) soya or maize, you must say this either on a label
attached to the food, on a menu, or on a notice that is easily visible
to the customer.

The same rules apply to food that you pre-pack to sell direct to the
customer (for example, sandwiches made and packed in advance in a
sandwich bar). There are more extensive labelling rules for retailers.

Contact the trading standards service at your local authority for more
information.

Selling alcohol
You must have a licence to sell alcoholic drinks. To apply for a
licence, contact the licensing justices at your local magistrates court.

There are also rules about the quantities of beer, wine and spirits
you can serve. Contact the trading standards service at your local
authority for more information.

16
 5 Paperwork and finances

Types of business
Before you start trading, you need to decide what type of business
you are setting up. The main types of business are:

‘sole trader’, which means you will be self-employed

partnership, with another person or more than one person
limited company

For more information about these different types of business, visit

the Business Link website (www.businesslink.org) or see the Small
Business Service publication, Small Firms: Setting up in Business
(see page 21 for ordering details).

Being self-employed
If you are self-employed, you must register with the Inland Revenue.
As a self-employed person, you are responsible for paying your own
tax and National Insurance contributions. You will need to fill in a tax
return each year.

Contact your local tax office to find out more about what you need
to do concerning tax, or call the Inland Revenue’s helpline for newly
self-employed people on 08459 15 45 15.

VAT registration
VAT stands for ‘Value Added Tax’. Businesses that are ‘VAT registered’
charge VAT on the goods and services they provide. If your business
has a turnover (not just profit) above the ‘registration threshold’, it
must be VAT registered.

In April 2002, the registration threshold was set at £55,000 a year, but
this is likely to change.

Some businesses choose to register for VAT, even though their

turnover is below the registration threshold. If your business is VAT
registered, you will be able to reclaim the VAT you pay to suppliers.
And you will also need to charge VAT on certain things. See Charging
VAT on page 15.

To find out more about VAT registration contact Customs and Excise
on 0845 010 9000 or visit www.hmce.gov.uk.

17
 Record keeping
You must keep records of all your business income and expenses. This
will help you to prepare your accounts and fill in your tax return.
Having a record of all the money coming in and going out can also
help you to run your business efficiently.

You must keep all records for at least five years from the latest date
for sending back your tax return.

If you would like advice about record keeping, contact the Inland
Revenue or an accountant.

Tips

Update your records regularly. This helps to avoid paperwork

piling up and it will make it much easier to prepare your
annual accounts.

Keep receipts for all your business expenses. They are proof
of how you spent the money.

Always keep business money and personal money separate.

Paying employees
If you are employing other people, you will need to work out, and
pay, your employees’ tax and National Insurance contributions. These
come out of the wages you pay them. Contact the Inland Revenue
for more information.

Remember, you need to keep a record of everything you pay your

employees, including wages, payments and benefits.

You also need to make sure that you keep to employment law on
issues such as employee rights, working hours, minimum wages and
equal opportunities. For more information, see Small Firms:
Employing Staff, which is published by the Small Business Service,
or visit the Business Link website (www.businesslink.org).

Help and advice is also available from the Inland Revenue. Contact
the new employers’ helpline on 0845 607 0143 or visit
www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk.

18
 6 Law

Lots of the information in this booklet is based on legal requirements

under a range of acts and regulations. This logo is used
throughout the booklet to show when you are required to do
something by law.

This section explains the main laws that apply specifically to food
businesses in Great Britain. Similar laws apply in Northern Ireland.

Food Safety Act 1990

Under the Food Safety Act, you must not:

sell (or keep for sale) food that is unfit for people to eat

cause food to be dangerous to health

sell food that is not what the customer is entitled to expect, in

terms of content or quality

describe or present food in a way that is false or misleading

Lots of the advice in this booklet will help you to obey the Food
Safety Act. For example, the 4 Cs (see pages 8 to 11) can help you to
maintain good hygiene in your business. This will help you to prevent
food becoming unfit or dangerous to eat.

It is important for you to be able to show the steps you have taken
to ensure good food hygiene. If you were prosecuted under the
Food Safety Act 1990, there could be severe penalties. You would
need to convince the court that you had taken all reasonable steps
to avoid the offence you had been accused of (this is called a ‘due
diligence defence’).

Food Premises (Registration) Regulations 1991

If you are planning to start a new food business, you must register
your premises 28 days before opening. See Registering food premises
on page 2.

19
 Food Safety (General Food Hygiene)
Regulations 1995
These Regulations set out the basic hygiene rules that food
businesses must follow in relation to staff, premises and food
handling. Many of these requirements are explained in the earlier
sections of this booklet.

Food Safety Regulations, a booklet published by the Food Standards

Agency, contains more detailed information about the regulations.

Food Safety (Temperature Control)

Regulations 1995
Temperature control is all about keeping food at a temperature that
will keep it safe (whether hot or cold). The main issues are explained
in the Cooking section on page 9 and the Chilling section on page 10.
The regulations cover the following issues:

the temperature at which certain foods must be kept

which foods are exempt from specific temperature control
when the regulations allow flexibility

In Scotland, the regulations apply slightly differently to the rest of

the UK, but the principles are the same. For more information on
rules in Scotland, contact the environmental health service at your
local authority.

Food safety regulations, a booklet published by the Food Standards

Agency, contains more detailed information on the regulations.

20
 7 Further information

Food Standards Agency publications

Food safety regulations – general guide to regulations on food
hygiene and temperature control
Food law inspections and your business – explains the inspection
process

Food handlers: fitness to work – explains what to do when staff

have certain types of illness

Eggs: what caterers need to know – gives advice for caterers on

using eggs safely

Dine out, eat well – guide to offering customers healthy choices

All of these publications are free of charge. To order copies, contact
Food Standards Agency Publications:

tel 0845 606 0667

minicom 0845 606 0678
fax 020 8867 3225
email foodstandards@eclogistics.co.uk

Publications from Government departments

Small Business Service
Small Firms: Setting up in Business [RG01]
Small Firms: Employing Staff [RG02]
Small Firms: Health and Safety [RG05]

To order, email publications@dti.gov.uk, visit www.dti.gov.uk/publications,

or call 0870 150 2500, textphone 0870 150 2100.

Inland Revenue
Thinking of Working for Yourself [P/SE/1]

To order, email saorderline.ir@gtnet.gov.uk, visit www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk,

call 0845 9000 404, fax 0845 9000 604, or write to PO Box 37,
St Austell, Cornwall PL25 5YN.

21
 Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive: working with employers

Fire safety: an employers guide

Managing health and safety pays in the catering industry

(Catering information sheet no 4)

Planning for health and safety when selecting and using catering
equipment and workplaces (Catering information sheet no 9)

The main health and safety law applicable to catering

(Catering information sheet no 11)

Order from www.hsebooks.co.uk, call 01787 881165, or access

publications online at www.hse.gov.uk.

Useful contacts
Business Link (England) www.businesslink.org 0845 600 9006
Business Connect in Wales www.businessconnect.org 08457 96 97 98
Small Business Gateway (Scotland - Lowlands)
www.sbgateway.com 0845 609 6611

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Business Information Source

(Scotland - Highlands) www.bis.uk.com 01463 715400

Inland Revenue www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk

New employers’ helpline 0845 60 70 143
Helpline for newly self-employed people 08459 15 45 15
National Minimum Wage helpline 0845 600 0678

Small Business Service www.sbs.gov.uk 0114 259 7788

Customs and Excise www.hmce.gov.uk 0845 010 9000
Health and Safety Executive www.hse.gov.uk 08701 545 500
UK online www.ukonline.gov.uk
Equal Opportunities Commission www.eoc.org.uk 08456 015901
Companies House www.companies-house.gov.uk 0870 333 3636

22
 8 Index

Advertising – see Describing food 15

Alcohol 16
Bacteria – see Food hygiene 8
Ceilings 4
Chilling 10
Claims about food – see Describing food 15
Cleaning 8
Cooking 9
Courses 6
Cross-contamination 11
Describing food 15
Doors 4
Environmental health officers – see Inspections 14
Equipment 4
Finances 5
Fire safety 5
Floors 3
Food hygiene 8
Food preparation areas 3
Food safety management 12
Fridge – see Chilling 10
Health and safety 5
Handwashing 13
Hygiene 8
Illness – of staff 12
Inspections 14
Kitchen – design and construction 3
Kitchen – good hygiene 8
Labelling food 16
Law 19
Licensing – alcohol 16
Meat – see Cooking 9
Menus 15
Mobile/temporary premises 5
Paperwork 17
Paying employees 18
Personal hygiene 12
Premises 2
Prices 15
Qualifications 6
Record keeping 18
Recruiting staff 6
Registering food premises 2
Registering for VAT 17

23
 Rubbish – see Waste 3
Safety – of food 8
– health and safety 5
Self-employed – registering as 17
Sinks 4
Stalls – see Mobile/temporary premises 5
Stock rotation 14
Storage 13
Suppliers 6
Tax 17
Temperature control – cooking 9
– chilling 10
Temporary premises 5
Toilets 3
Training 6
Transport 7
Use by dates – see Storage 13
VAT – charging 15
VAT – registration 17
Walls 3
Washbasins 3
Washing food 4
Waste 3
Water supply 3
Windows 4

24
Checklist

Have you registered your premises?

Do the design and construction of your premises meet legal

requirements?

Have you considered health and safety and fire

safety arrangements?

Do you and your staff understand the principles of good

food hygiene?

Have you and your staff had food hygiene training?

Have you considered what food safety problems there

could be at each stage of your business?

Have you put the necessary food safety procedures in

place and are you making regular checks to make
sure they are working?

Have you registered as self-employed?

Do you need to register for VAT?

Are you keeping records of all your business income

and expenses?

Are you keeping records of your employees’ pay and

do you know how to pay their tax and National
Insurance contributions?

Do you describe food and drink accurately?

Do you need to apply for a licence to sell alcohol?

Food Standards Agency Publications
To order further copies of this or other publications produced
by the Agency, contact Food Standards Agency Publications.
tel 0845 606 0667
minicom 0845 606 0678
fax 020 8867 3225
email foodstandards@eclogistics.co.uk
Visit the Food Standards Agency’s site for caterers at
www.food.gov.uk/cleanup

Published by the Food Standards Agency February 2003. Design by SPY Design and Publishing Ltd. Print by Colibri. www.food.gov.uk
© Crown copyright 2003. Printed in England 30K. FSA/0734/0203