Do you know whether I need a food safety certificate and an environmental health check to make & sell chocolate?

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

I can't find anything online.


Thank you.

[tazzle22]

you would need certainly minimum of a food safety certificate to sell any foodstuffs whether made by you or just sold by you.

.... and depending on where you will be "cooking" you might need EH check ... sorry I dont know enough about it in depth to know the definition of "commercial premisies" as applied to home businesses..... no doubt there will be someone more knowledgable along in a minute ( unless I have x posted with said person lol)

[DorsetKnob]

Yes and yes, definitely need Food safety certificate and as we get checked for EH and run a B&B I would imagine you would need to do si as well. If in doubt get a certificate.

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

I can sort that out, thank you I'd have to start off at home.

[tazzle22]

do you know you can do the food safety certificate on line... I did my last three year one that way

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

Oh, that's a great idea. Thank you. [hsmile]

[Imnotaslimjim]

Yes you do. Just contact your local council, tell them what you're planning on doing and they'll tell you what they need from you. Have a look here for help. If you email them, they'll give you loads of advice

As for the food safety cert, check that you LA allow online ones, as some don't

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

Thank you. I'll scrub the kitchen. If that fails, I'll have to rethink.

[tazzle22]

good point SJ

[AnitaBlake]

Your EH dept will be very helpful :) the best delta with the lowest stats are the pro-active ones, they much prefer the path of least work!

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

I'd imagine that I need a separate sink for handwashing, which I can't get. All I'd be doing is melting the chocolate.

[AnitaBlake]

Definitly worth speaking to EH. I don't know the food regs but if there's a way to help they will find it for you :)

[NotaDisneyMum]

No - you won't necessarily need a separate hand sink - just procedures that prevent x-contamination occurring such as pouring boiling water down the sink between hand washing and dish washing

I've got a food safety cert for my home kitchen - the only adjustment I made was to dedicate a cupboard and fridge shelf to 'work' ingredients

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

Thank you. I'll write a business plan, do some costings and get in touch with environmental health. It will be a case of 'melt and mould' to start off with, I'd love to be able to make my own chocolate out of cocoa beans though.

[NotaDisneyMum]

Download a copy of Safer Food Better Business (the one for caterers) - that will give you a lot of pointers on writing up procedures for HACCP

[LadyMaryCreepyCrawley]

Thank you, I've looked at it already. I remember Cadburys outbreak of salmonella.