Certificate for health and safety reference food items made and sold from home

[Pauline@weddingtreasures]

The crazy wedding season will soon be coming to skidding halt very soon and for a long time now I h ave been wanting to try my hand at making fondant/sugarpaste toppers for the winter/christmas period and need to know what the first step is for getting my home passed for the health and safety issues.

If anybody can point me in the right direction and pass on any tips that would be great

Pauline

[StefC]

You will need a Food Safety cert - contact your local college, if they have a catering course they will run it very regularly, if not they will probably do a couple a year. This is a one day course with multiple choice Qs, very easy to understand and pass.

I'm not sure about the home check stuff. Hopefully someone will answer that bit for you.

Good luck!

[Pauline@weddingtreasures]

I did a food safety course years ago when I ran a pub/resturant but I have no idea where it is now and probably best if I do another one anyway, unless there would be some record of me doing it?

[StefC]

There might be and I know they don't run out, there is only a recommendation that you do one very 3 years!

You'd have to remember which of the many bodies gave you the cert! Probably a lot easier to do a new one

[Caroleecrafts]

Trading standards will help you re your home and the food hygiene cert can be done online.

[greannancrafts]

Your local EHO will want to be involved as well.

They will need to inspect your kitchen and manufacturing process.

Jane

[Janiebird]

Your EHO should also help you with any labelling requirements, I found them quite friendly and helpful, they just want to check that you have your Food Hygeine Cert, that your kitchen is clean, fridges etc are at the correct temp, and your processes are good. Don't worry they will keep you right.

[Sprockette]

Does anyone know if baking in your kitchen at home and selling to other shops/online would be counted as running a business from home..? I'm not sure about anything and only thinking of starting up but I'm having the slight glitch that I will be renting a flat that says I can't run a business out of the property so that'd be the first problem before I even got safety checks. Can anyone fill me in on that?

[Caroleecrafts]

Sprokette, yes if you are making to sell through others or sell direct you are running a business and would have to inform the HMRC as well as your landlord.

[Sprockette]

Ah ok. My first problem but I suspected that! Now - to get a mortgage... :P