Before opening a food business you must consider the following matters:

Planning

Ensure the premises which you intend operating from has the necessary planning consent. For further details contact Development Control on 0115 9155426

Building works - If you intend to carry out structural works to the premises you may need Building Regulations approval. For details contact the Building Control section

Address: Building Control, Exchange Buildings North, Smithy Row, Nottingham, NG1 2BS
Telephone: 0115 9155358
Fax: 0115 9155377
e-mail: building.control@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Waste

Arrangements will need to be made for the collection of your trade waste. For details contact Waste Services ( Commercial)

Address: Eastcroft, London Road, Nottingham
Telephone: 0115 915 2230
Fax: 0115 915 2121
e-mail: waste.manager@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Registration

You must ensure your premises are registered with the City Council 28 days before opening. If you are operating a mobile food business the vehicle must be registered with the council where it is stored / garaged overnight. If you are operating a mobile food business you should contact the Markets and Fairs Team on 9156970 who will advise on which streets street trading is prohibited.

Download the registration form

Complete the form and send it to:

Food Team
Lawrence House
Talbot Street
Nottingham
NG1 5NT

Click here to go to the Food Standards Agency website for more information.

Training

Food handlers must be adequately trained in accordance with the food handling duties undertaken. Click here for details of food hygiene course providers within Nottingham City.

Statutory Nuisance

You must ensure your premises are not the cause of a statutory nuisance to neighbouring properties from emitting smoke, fumes, gases, dusts, steam, odour, noise, or having accumulations or deposits that are prejudicial to health or a nuisance.

Public Sanitary Accommodation

An adequate number of toilets need to be provided for members of the public eating or drinking food in restaurants and cafes. However, if the business is predominately a takeaway where seating is limited to eight or less, you will not be expected to provide toilets for customers.

Premises Structure

The food premises must be kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition, to enable adequate cleaning and disinfection.

Floors and walls and surfaces in contact with food must be in a sound condition and must be easy to clean and where necessary disinfect. Floors, walls and surfaces need to be smooth, hard wearing, washable and in good state of repair. Suggested floor coverings include flooring tiles (quarry ceramic or vinyl,) vinyl safety flooring, Terrazzo, cast in situ resin flooring. It's advisable that the flooring is coved to aid cleaning.

Suggested wall surfaces include washable painted plaster, Epoxy resin and similar coatings, ceramic tiles, stainless steel sheeting, PVC, GRP and other proprietary sheeting.

Suggested food contact surfaces included stainless steel, ceramic, food grade plastics.

Ceilings need to be designed and constructed to prevent the build up of dirt, condensation, moulds and the shedding of particles. Suggested ceiling surfaces include smooth washable painted plaster, direct fixed ceiling systems, suspended ceilings.

Windows and other openings must be constructed to prevent the accumulation of dirt. Windows which can be opened to the outside environment must, where necessary, be fitted with insect-proof screens which can be easily removed for cleaning. Where open windows would result in the contamination of foodstuffs windows must remain closed.

Doors must be easy to clean and where necessary disinfect. A variety of smooth impervious surfaces are available. A cleanable paint or sealed finish would comply. Unsealed wood does not comply.

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 washing equipment need to be provided for the cleaning and disinfecting of work tools and equipment. Suitable equipment will include sinks with a supply of hot and cold or appropriately mixed running water with detergents and disinfectants for manual equipment cleaning, sterilising sinks, dishwashers.

Drying of equipment must not cause re-contamination. It is advisable that space is provided to allow equipment / utensils to air dry.

Facilities for washing food
Separate sinks must be provided for food preparation and equipment washing. The sinks must be provided with a supply of hot and cold running water which is of drinking quality. In smaller operations one sink may be used for both equipment and food washing, provided that both activities can be done effectively and without prejudice to food safety.

Wash hand basins
An adequate number of wash hand basins must be provided depending on the size and layout of your business. Wash hand basins must be located close to toilet facilities and at strategic places in the premises so that food handlers have access to them. Wash hand basins must only be used for washing hands. Materials for cleaning hands and for hygienic drying need to be provided. It is recommended that liquid soap is provided and drying facilities include either disposable paper towels, roller paper cabinet towels, warm air dryers, washable fabric towels.

Sanitary accommodation for food handlers
An adequate number of flush lavatories must be available and connected to an effective drainage system. Lavatories must not lead directly into rooms in which food is handled. Two doors should provide an intervening ventilated space between the WC and food room. Food should not be stored in this space.

Ventilation
Suitable and sufficient natural or mechanical ventilation needs to be provided to ensure that heat and / or humidity do not build up to levels that could compromise the safety of the food. As a target, ambient temperatures should be below 25°C. Natural ventilation in rooms where food is cooked will only be suitable in small premises where there is a low heat input into the room. Mechanically drawn air into food preparation rooms must not be drawn from dirty areas such as waste storage areas or rooms used for dirty processes such as pot wash. All parts of the ventilation system must be accessible for cleaning.

Lighting
Adequate lighting needs to be provided, to enable safe food handling, effective cleaning and the monitoring of cleaning standards. Recommended illumination levels range from 150 lux in store rooms to 500 lux in food preparation areas. Glass lights should be fitted with shatterproof diffusers in areas where open food is handled.

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