Premises requiring approval

Approved premises

If you intend to start a food business handling products of animal origin that are supplied to:

• retailers
• caterers
• or other customers who are not the direct consumer

You may require approval under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin and Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.

Products of animal origin include fresh meat, raw minced meat, raw milk, eggs, shellfish and fish to produce any, or any combination, of the following:

• minced meat
• meat preparations
• mechanically separated meat
• meat products
• live bivalve molluscs
• fishery products
• raw milk (other than raw cows' milk)
• dairy products
• eggs (not primary production)
• egg products
• frogs legs and snails
• rendered animal fats and greaves
• treated stomachs, bladders and intestines
• gelatine and collagen
• certain cold stores
• certain wholesale markets

If you think your business may require approval we recommend you contact the Food, Safety and Port Health team at an early stage.

There are some exemptions to the need for approval which the officers can assess. The officer will provide you with clear guidance on whether approval is required and advise you of the approval process. There is no charge for approval.

Article 6 of assimilated Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 places the legal onus on food business operators (FBOs) to ensure establishments under their control, which are subject to approval under assimilated Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004, are approved by the relevant Local Authority before they commence trading.

Applying for approval

You must complete an approval application form and provide details of your food business operations, HACCP plan, training and other food safety controls to be put in place.

Once the application is made you may receive an advisory visit, or the pre-approval inspection can take place with no prior visit. If all requirements are satisfied you will be granted conditional approval and a unique approval number which must be applied to all products handled in the establishment that are subject to approval. 

After 3 months a further inspection will be carried out to assess monitoring undertaken and general regulatory compliance. If all is satisfactory you will be granted full approval.

Further information is available on the Food Standards Agency website.

Will tacit consent apply?

No, it is in the public interest that we must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period please contact your local Food, Safety and Port Health team.

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