Some food establishments must be approved or conditionally approved before they can operate. These are usually businesses that manufacture or handle products of animal origin. If that is the case, it is an offence to operate without approval.

In order to obtain approval, you will need to meet certain standards relating both to structure and food safety. You will also need to have a detailed food safety management system in place in order to ensure that the product you produce is safe.

Food of animal origin includes:

  • meat and poultry fresh, frozen or cooked
  • meat product such as pies or sausages
  • raw or partially cooked minced meat and meat preparations
  • fish and fish products (dead and alive)
  • ready meals containing fish or meat
  • milk and dairy products
  • egg products
  • frogs legs and snails
  • rendered animal fats and other animal by-products (i.e. gelatine)
  • honey
  • blood

This is not a complete list. 

We would recommend that you contact our Food Safety Team for further information. 

Alternatively, you can also consult the Food Standards Agency for more information about approved premises.

Making an application

If your establishment is already trading and you have not been conditionally approved you need to make an application as soon as possible. 

Please download, complete and submit the approval of a food establishment application form.

  • Food establishment application form

If you have any queries, please contact us using your MyEHDC account.

If you handle products of animal origin and you supply food to other businesses, you may need to be approved. 

This includes:

  • meat preparation, cold store and re-wrapping and re-packaging
  • fish and shellfish dispatch and purification, processing plants and fresh fishery establishments
  • animal produce establishments that produce raw milk and dairy products and eggs and egg products, including packing centres, processing plants, liquid egg plants

Change in circumstances

Changes to details supplied after application must be notified.

These include a change of food business operator (should be notified by the new operator), activities carried out in relation to food and the closure of part of a business or a business.

Record keeping

The Food Standards Agency maintains a list of approved food establishments.

Approval for the following establishments is undertaken by the Food Standards Agency:

  • Slaughterhouse
  • Cutting plants
  • Game handling establishments
  • Wholesale meat markets

The Food Standards Agency approvals team can be contacted by email - approvals@food.gov.uk.