Congrats on registering your business.

Some practical start up requirements are available to review here: Starting a food business from home | Food Standards Agency

As a home food producer, you should be with your Local Authority. For an overview of the permissions required, the registration process and requirements, including an information video, please visit: Starting a food business from home | Food Standards Agency

It is important to consider separation controls in a shared kitchen. The following guide provides some tips:

The rules regarding your preparation area aren't just about your work surface, but also make you consider the walls and ceilings in your kitchen. For further details visit: Setting up a food business | Food Standards Agency

You must also consider:

Equipment

Food waste

Health and safety

Fire safety

Go to -> 3 - Do you have a dedicated preparation area?

A dedicated prep area is an important means to avoid any cross contamination / safety concerns. As a reminder of considerations you must make, please review the following: These are tips on what should be done to make the home a safe place to prepare food for the marketplace:

Cooking your food

Cleaning

Cross-contamination

Traceability

It is recommended you have a dedicated prep area if you intend running a food business from home. Without this it is difficult to appropriately control the workplace and avoid risks such as cross-contamination, and you could be putting the consumer at risk.

These are tips on what should be done to make the home a safe place to prepare food for the marketplace:

Cooking your food

Cleaning

Cross-contamination

Traceability

Details of how to appropriately refrigerate ingredients in a home based business can be found in the following: Home Bakers Chilling Guidance

Certain foods must be stored below 8 ̊C to slow bacterial growth. Typically this will be foods packaged with a Use By date. Ideally fridge temperature should be set between 1-5 ̊C. Foods that must be kept cold include cream and cut fresh fruit for example.

The following guide is a bespoke guide for cake bakers and covers a variety of food hygiene guidance: Home Bakers Food Safety Pack

If you are considering adding a rice paper ornament to a cake, we advise not printing these at home as normal printer inks are not suitable for consumption. 

Note : even if you have a dedicated printer for food use, and edible inks to use with it – these devices are particularly challenging to keep clean.  

Go to -> 6 - Do you make confectionery?

If you intend to use imported sweets in your product, you must be aware of the ingredients of these products and complete the necessary checks, such as looking for inclusion of any banned colours or any banned food types - For example the import ban on jelly sweets with certain additives: Imports and Exports | Food Standards Agency. For more information on imported confectionery and the banned colours please read the following:  Importing confectionery | Food Standards Agency

The equipment that you use to weigh sweets is required to meet a particular standard and must meet accuracy requirements. You must ensure the equipment that you are using to weigh out confectionery meets the legal standard. For more details of weights and measures please see: Weights and Measures | Business Companion

Go to -> 7 - Do you cook with dairy milk or milk alternatives, such as almond or soya milk?

Food businesses are required to provide allergen information and follow labelling rules as set out in food law. This means that you must:

• provide accurate allergen information to your customers
• handle and manage food allergens effectively in food preparation to avoid cross contamination.

Further guidance regarding dairy milk or milk alternatives is available at: Food allergy and intolerance | Food Standards Agency

For labelling of allergens please refer to:

Allergen labelling for food manufacturers | Food Standards Agency

You can also put staff through the following training course regarding all you need to know about allergens: Food Allergen Resource | Trading Standards

Go to -> 8 - Do you use non-edible decorations such as flowers, jewels, toys, glitter, lustre, figures or dowels/ rods, pins to support decorations?

You should ensure that no decorations, edible or non-edible are a choking hazard. Any non-edible decorations must be capable of being removed from the product before it is eaten. You must advise your customers of this.

If you pre-pack your products, the warning should be on the label, if you sell loose (unwrapped) then advise every customer verbally.

Go to -> 9 - Do you use glitters / dust in or on your products?

Glitters and dust are used to decorate confectionery products, some are safe to use others are not and could be a health hazard

Page 16 of the following guide gives you a checklist to consider when using glitters and dust on your cakes: Food Safety for Home Bakers

Go to -> 10 - Do you use colours in your products?

You must not sell food with non-permitted or excess levels of colours. Always ensure that you and any employees follow the instructions supplied with the seasoning / colour. If there are no instructions, or if the instructions are not clear, ask your supplier for further details in writing. For further details on colours in food, click here: Guidance: Colours in Food | Business Companion

A list of approved additives and E numbers can be found here: Approved additives and E numbers | Food Standards Agency

To check whether an additive is approved for use in the type of food you are making and to check to maximum permitted levels you can search the EU Additives Database.

Go to -> 11 - Do you market any products by someone else's trademark? (On the next page)

You need to be aware of intellectual property rights and what might constitute an infringement of said rights. To find out more, please click here: IP Basics | GOV.UK

Go to -> 12 - Do you market any products by a protected name?

Certain food names are protected by Law. Food with a geographical connection or that are made using traditional methods can be registered and protected under the UK Protected Food Names Scheme. This protects a product’s characteristics or reputation, authenticity and origin. It also protects the product name from misuse or imitation. A list of protected names and further details can be found here: Protected geographical food and drink names: UK GI schemes | GOV.UK

Go to -> 13 - Are you selling non-prepacked foods?

For food that is sold loose by a retailer i.e. not sold or displayed in packaging, the information you need to provide your customers are:

• Name of the food
• Allergen information
• if any of the ingredients have been irradiated, or have come from genetically modified sources

Further information can be found in the labelling of food non-prepacked guide

Additional guidance for small bakers on the selling of loose goods and average weight can be found here: Weights and Measures - business companion guide

You may also find useful guidance regarding the definitions of non-prepacked, pre-packed for direct sale and packed within the FSA's allergen and food labelling decision tool

Go to -> 14 - Do you sell a product pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS)?

Guidance can be found here: Introduction to allergen labelling changes (PPDS) | Food Standards Agency

You may also find useful guidance regarding the definitions of non-prepacked, pre-packed for direct sale and packed within the FSA's allergen and food labelling decision tool

Go to -> 15 - Do you sell packaged goods?

The legal requirements you must follow are available in the FSA's Packaging and Labelling guide.

There is also a free online training course about labelling, to help you understand about what you can and cannot do: Food Labelling eLearning Course | Food Standards Agency

Go to -> 16 - Are you distance selling any goods?

Distance selling means any selling that happens without face-to-face contact with the consumer. Methods of selling include:

• online
• text messaging
• phone calls
• interactive TV
• mail order

The main concern is the condition of the food when it reaches the purchaser and your awareness of the consumer rights if a consumer receives products in an unsatisfactory condition. Guidance on such matters can be found here: Distance selling, mail order and delivery | Food Standards Agency  

Go to -> 17 - Do you make any claims about your food?

If you make any claims about your product, such as a nutritional claim (for example a claim that suggests that a food has beneficial nutritional properties due to the energy, nutrients or other substances), you will need to consider the implications of making that claim and your responsibilities as a producer.

Guidance on claims is complex, but this guide is a useful starting place: Nutrition and health claims | Business Companion

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