Registration of a food establishment

Food businesses must be registered at least 28 days before trading or before the food operations start. This applies to all food businesses, including:

• Food brokers involved with food distribution or food supply that may operate from an office and not where food is kept
• Those operating a website that arranges food deliveries

About registering

• Registration is free.
• Once registered you may be inspected.
•  If you are already trading and have not registered you need to do so, as soon as possible.

How to register

You can register by:

• submitting the GOV.UK online form
• emailling the Application for registration of a food business establishment (PDF). Once completed return send it to environmental.health@wokingham.gov.uk.

You must let us know if business registration details are no longer up-to-date. To request an ‘awaiting inspection’ sticker, please email environmental.health@wokingham.gov.uk. 

Food officer contact details

If you have already been in contact with a specific food officer regarding your business, you can ensure that your registration and subsequent inspection goes to them by:

• Using the box section marked 'OTHER' at the bottom of the 'Type of business', section
• Stating the name of the food officer you have had contact with

If you use host premises/kitchen (Dark Kitchens)

If your food business uses a premises/kitchen operated by someone else, please let us know in the 'business other details' section of your food registration form. This will ensure that the premises record and food hygiene rating score for the host premises/kitchen that you are using is not removed from our records and the rating website.

For example: "I use the kitchen at Happy Cafe, 123 High Street, Wokingham, from 5pm to 10pm on Sundays and Mondays when the owner is not using the kitchen".

If there is more than one trading name for your business operating at the same address: please register each additional trading name, for example: 'ABC Foods, also trading as XYZ Foods' and DEF Foods.

If you can't find your address online

If you can not locate your address using the online food premises registration location system, especially if the building is new or has been divided, you may need to register the new address with the council. The Food Hygiene Rating Score can not be displayed on the Food Standards Agency's ratings website without a correct registered street name and street/road number.



Once you have registered you will need to tell us if:

• there is a change in ownership
• there is a change in the nature of the business, including if you close

After food premises registration, your business will be inspected and a Food Hygiene Rating score will be issued if applicable.

Information and support

• Visit  Food.gov.uk for information on food safety and hygiene requirements.
• We maintain a database of food business establishments that have been registered with us.
• For queries or proof reading email marcus.herbert@wokingham.gov.uk

Approval of a food establishment 

If you handle products of animal origin, like meat, fish, milk and/or eggs and you supply other food businesses, you may need to be approved rather than registered.

Childminders and community and charity food service 

Registration by childminders, who operate from a home address and supply food as part of their business, is not required. The details childminders provide to Ofsted will also be used to register you as a food business. 

If you handle, prepare, store and serve food occasionally and on a small scale, at community and charity events you do not need to register. However, you must make sure that the food you place on the market is safe and that consumers are able to make informed choices and are not misled.