Food Safety

Yes. Official UK advice is that you can freeze food right up to and including its use-by date, and eat

Selling food online is treated the same as selling it in a shop. This guide explains who counts as a food business, how to register, what information a listing must show, how to give allergen information before purchase and at delivery, how to pack and deliver food safely, couriers and platforms, returns and cancellations, descriptions and claims, records, and the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The law requires every food business to have adequate procedures to control pests but does not require a pest control contractor. This guide covers the legal duties and where they come from, the main pests and signs, prevention, records, what to do when you find a pest, using a contractor or doing it yourself, what inspectors and councils can do, and tips for takeaways, cafes, shops, market stalls and home kitchens.

A withdrawal removes unsafe food before it reaches shoppers; a recall asks them to act. What Article 19 requires of shops, the FSA alert types, a step-by-step in-store procedure, records, offences in each UK nation and why recalled food cannot be donated.

Charities and community groups are not automatically exempt from food hygiene law, but one-off events with little organisation are generally outside registration. When to register, who is responsible for a hired hall, lunch clubs, bake sales, food banks, community fridges, allergens and volunteer training.

Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) is the Food Standards Agency’s free food safety management pack for small caterers and retailers in England and Wales. SFBB itself is not compulsory, but you must have HACCP-based procedures. How to fill in the safe methods, daily diary and 4-weekly review, and what Scotland and Northern Ireland use instead.

Market stalls and food vans follow the same food hygiene law as any food business, plus specific rules for movable and temporary premises: hand washing, clean water, cleanable surfaces, waste, temperature control and protected food. Register with your council at least 28 days before trading; street trading permission is separate.

What must be on a food label in the UK? The 12 mandatory particulars, prepacked vs PPDS vs loose food, use-by vs best-before dates, whether you can sell food past its best-before, foods that need no date, nutrition declaration exemptions, allergen emphasis, font size, warnings, online sales, enforcement and penalties.

The full UK list of 14 allergens food businesses must declare, with the exact legal wording, where each one hides, why ‘tree nuts’ means only eight nuts, the sulphite threshold, and how to give allergen information for prepacked, PPDS and loose food.

What UK food hygiene law actually requires: registration, HACCP, the 4 Cs, temperature control, personal hygiene, allergens, training levels, ratings, records and enforcement — with the detail on each topic.