Opening a Food Premises

When starting up a new catering business it is very important to get things right at the start because it will make it much easier for you to run your business well in the future.

Food poisoning can be disastrous for a new business – word gets around.

Register Your Food Business

To open a food business in Eastbourne you must register your business with the council's Environmental Health service, at least 28 days before opening. Registration is free.

You can download the Food Premises Registration Form in PDF format below. If you are outside Eastbourne, contact Environmental Health at your local district or city council.

Who Needs to Register?

Registration applies to most types of food business, including catering businesses run from home 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, such as a community hall or conference centre, the person who allows the premises to be used for this purpose is responsible for registering them.

There is also information for childminders in this section.

What Else Do You Need to Do?

Find out more in this section, download or order the booklet Starting Up - Your First Steps to Running a Catering Business, or visit the Food Standards Agency Starting Up website.