Food premises approval

Regulation Summary

To obtain approval for products of animal origin, you will need to meet certain hygiene standards set out in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 Hygiene Rules for Food of Animal Origin and Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.

Eligibility Criteria

Products for which an establishment may require approval include: meat, fish (killed), shellfish (alive or killed), milk, eggs, frogs' legs, snails; and products made from any of these. This also includes products such as rendered animal fat, treated intestines, gelatine, collagen etc. Approval will not be given unless the food business meets the required standard.

Application Process

Food businesses must not commence any activity which requires approval, unless they have received conditional or full approval for the proposed activity from the Food and Health and Safety Team. To commence operations without approval is an offence for which the business is likely to be prosecuted. There is no fee for the application for approval.

If a business owner believes that approval will be required for their premises, their first point of contact should be the Food and Health & Safety Team. Following initial discussions, it may be determined that approval is not required, with the standard food registration process being sufficient.

Premises requiring approval will need to submit the application form together with:

• A site plan - this can be sketched, but should reflect the layout of the premises accurately
• Evidence of the Food Safety Management System based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles

The approved premises form involves the applicant providing a substantial amount of information. Please take time to consider the form carefully, to ensure a full and detailed completion.

On receipt of the application for approval, an officer will review the application for completeness and then arrange a site visit with the applicant. This helps to verify the details on the application, as well as discuss any further matters or requirements that the applicant needs to meet.

The site visit will normally be equivalent to a food premises inspection.

Following the site inspection and officer's decision that all requirements for approval have been met, the approval will be issued to the premises with a unique approval number, which forms part of the standard identification mark. This must be applied to all products and documentation, ensuring that these can be traced back to the company. The officer will have discussed this with the applicant during the application process.

The Food and Health and Safety Team will set a target of 28 consecutive days, in which time they will determine whether or not approval can be granted. If you have not had any feedback from the team after this period has ended, please contact us as detailed below. It does not mean that your application has been granted.

The applicant will receive a letter on issue of the approval, together with the Grant of Approval form. Should approval not be granted, the applicant will also receive a letter explaining the decision.

How to apply

Alternatively you can:

Print the PDF linked above, or request that an application form be sent to you. Once you have completed the form, you should post or hand deliver it to the Food and Health & Safety Team using the details provided at the bottom of the page. 

Appeal Process

Please contact your Local Authority in the first instance. Any applicant who is refused approval can appeal to their local Magistrates' court. Rights of appeal are subject to regulation 12 of the Official Feed and Food Controls (Wales) Regulations 2007.

Complaints / Objections

If you feel we have failed to provide you with good service or are concerned about the progress of your application, please contact the Food and Health and Safety Team. We will endeavour to resolve any concerns that you may have.

The council also has a formal complaints procedure. 

Public Registers

Details of the food premises address and nature of the business will be added to a register, which can be open for inspection by the general public. Records of the other information provided will not be publicly available, and will not be disclosed outside of the Council, Local Government Departments and Government Agencies. The details will be used for the purpose of registration, enforcement and the protection of public funds.