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Businesses must register with us if they handle food in the course of their business.

We enter your business details on a public register and visit you to discuss what you are doing and look at what facilities you have and what you may need.  

Registration is free and applies to most types of food business, including catering businesses run from home, childminders and mobile or temporary premises, such as stalls and vans. If you use two or more premises, you will need to register all of them.

If food premises are used by several catering businesses (for example, a village hall or conference centre), each person who use the premises must register their business, so there may be several registrations on the same premises.

We strongly recommend if you are starting a food business you contact our office to discuss your proposals with an Environmental Health Officer, and that you look at the Food Standards Agency website on registering and starting a new food business. You will also need to consider what records your business will need to keep, and we recommend you look at the Safer Food Better Business packs available from the Food Standards Agency.

If you close your food business you should inform us within 28 days.

Food business registration

If you handle food in the course of your business, you must be food registered with us. You must also tell us if your registration changes.

To register please complete a food registration form.

Alternatively complete a food registration form and email it to environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk

  • Details of the business ownership and management
  • Type of business and types of food handled

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of ensuring and maintaining your registration and on the basis of public task and legal obligation under food safety and hygiene legislation.

Who will receive or see my personal information?

Your information may also be shared within East Devon District Council for the purposes of carrying out our lawful functions. Otherwise your personal information will not be disclosed to anybody outside East Devon District Council without your permission, unless there is a lawful reason to do so, for example disclosure is necessary for crime prevention or detection purposes. Your information will be held securely and will not be retained for any longer than is necessary. There are a number of rights available to you in relation to our use of your personal information, depending on the reason for processing. Further detail about our use of your personal information can be found in the relevant Privacy Notice.

We do not confirm receipt of your application. We will make an unannounced visit, usually within 28 days of the business starting.

Food registration no longer needed

If you sell or close your food business you should tell us by emailing environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk

If applicable the new owner of the business will need to register the business with their details by completing the food registration form and emailing it to environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

You only need the details of the business

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of ensuring and maintaining your registration and on the basis of public task and legal obligation under food safety and hygiene legislation.

Once completed we will remove the details of your business from the food register.

We do not normally acknowledge your notification, please let us know if you would like us to write to you.