To wonder whether it’s legal for children to knock on doors seeking cookies?

[W0tever]

Is it? I’m genuinely unsure.

I know in the US there’s a culture of children running neighborhood lemonade stands from their front gardens plus the well-known scheme where Girl Scouts sell their cookies. Yet in the UK do you not need a licence to sell anything edible and to prove you’ve met certain hygiene standards?

We had a couple of 9-10 year-olds come to the door this evening wanting to sell some cookies they were carrying in a bag for life. I assume homemade although I didn’t actually get a proper look at them. I said honestly that I didn’t have any cash in the house so would have to pass on this occasion. Something made me feel a bit uncomfortable about the whole thing though. I assume their parents are on board. Although perhaps not.

Has anyone else encountered anything like this?

Yep, agree with this, it's about levels of risk and a certain degree of common sense.
https://www.thesaferfoodgroup.com/knowledge/do-my-volunteers-need-food-safety-training/

People sell baked goods and other things all the time om etsy and I never see or read certificates of hygiene. I never buy gourmet unless it is a reputable and certificate is shown. I always make it home 80% of the time.
I remember people beinging baked goods to work for charity events and I NEVER had any as I knew most of the staff had dogs and poor hygiene, long fake nails and all that nasty stuff. I would happily give the money but not buy any cake.

Two kids being productive and entrepreneurial. Not stuck to a screen, not stuck in doors. Out and about trying to raise a few pounds for some crap from b and m no doubt😂. As long as they were polite I'd buy some cookies from them. Whether I would eat them or not it's another question

I just remembered when I was about 8 I went round every neighbours door asking for donations for a jumble sale, then set up said jumble sale on the weekend and sold it all back to them. The nerve!!😂😂. Did raise £100 for charity

You’re on Mumsnet OP.

Call 101 immediately.

If you don’t want them, don’t buy them. No different to a cake sale at school.

You forgot the next bit - “file a report so it can be logged”.

Oh I miss that. And puff candy!

Do only kids of colour sell door to door stuff? Or are only kids of colour reported?
How odd.

In the school holidays we sometimes get kids setting up little stalls, selling those really basic box cakes with rice paper stickers on, and loads of little plastic figurines and bead bracelets and stuff. It's quite cute. I usually buy something.

I certainly wouldn't consider it a police matter. It's no different to a school bake sale. Nobody who bakes for those has a hygiene certificate?

It's just for them to make a bit of pocket money. You could've just bought one and threw it away?

I wouldn't be worried about being poisoned personally. If you're concerned they're not declaring their income to HMRC I'd say you needn't lose sleep over that either.

At least they aren't giving out mini toothpaste like in the film mermaids

Baked goods like these are extremely low risk for food poisoning. So more fool those people.

If you're concerned they're not declaring their income to HMRC I'd say you needn't lose sleep over that either.

😂

You can sell homemade food on an occasional basis without needing a hygiene certificate, otherwise bake sales would never happen, but need one if you do it regularly. People buying from kids like this know the risks and make a decision accordingly. It is great that kids get off their backsides and raise funds themselves for activities and they should be supported. My kids raised all the money for scout trips this way and it was really good for their confidence and business awareness.

Hardly anyone here sells stuff door to door and as the other poster said the vast majority of people don't report anyone. That was her point - The vast majority of people would never report anyone. It's only a few random people that are being douchebags that would ever report and then the police wouldn't really do anything anyway.

We have a couple doing that just to get a little pocket miney. I give them 50p each and chuck it in the bin. I don't mind at all.

What about all the hand made cakes made for school fairs. That's allowed.

Did You mean to quote me? My response was to @wildeflowers who said that little kids of colour were being reported. My question was whether it was only kids of colour being reported?
Because if so, that is very odd and should be looked into!

Rachel Reeves will probably find a way to tax them.

I think it's quite entrepreneurial of them.
I'd probably buy some to be nice, not sure I'd actually eat them though..I work with kids this age so I know most of them don't bother to wash their hands after going to the toilet!! 😂