Selling food from home: what rules to check first

Why should a home cook check the rules at all?

Cooking for your family needs no paperwork. Selling food to other people is different. Most places have some rules for anyone who sells food, even from a home kitchen and even in small amounts. The rules are there to keep customers safe, and they also protect you if something ever goes wrong.

The trouble is that the rules are not the same everywhere. They change from country to country, sometimes from city to city, and they change over time. So this post does not tell you what the law says. It gives you a list of things to look into, and who to ask.

Do you need to register your food business?

In many places, anyone who sells food has to register as a food business or get a food licence. Small home kitchens are sometimes treated more simply than shops and restaurants, but simpler does not always mean nothing at all.

• Find out whether you need to register, get a licence, or both. Check the current rules for your area.
• Ask whether the answer depends on how much you sell, what you sell, or whether you deliver.
• Ask what your kitchen must have, such as clean running water, separate storage or a way to keep food cold.
• Ask whether an inspection is needed, and how often a registration or licence must be renewed.
• Keep every paper in one folder, and a photo of each one on your phone.

If you also sell cakes, pickles or packed snacks that keep for days, ask about those separately. Food that is stored and sold later can have its own rules for labels and dates.

Does anyone else need to know you cook for sale?

Your kitchen sits inside a home, and the home sits inside a building and a neighbourhood. Before customers start arriving or a rider starts picking up boxes every day, check who else may need to agree.

• Your landlord, if you rent. Some rental agreements say what a home can and cannot be used for.
• Your building society or residents' association, if you have one.
• Your local office, which may have rules about running a business from a home address. Check the current rules for your area.
• Your neighbours. This is not a rule, but a friendly word about delivery times and parking saves trouble later.

What should go on your labels and menus?

Even a daily tiffin is a promise about what is inside the box. Customers with allergies, diet rules or health conditions depend on what you tell them.

• Say clearly what is veg, what has egg and what is non-veg.
• Name the common allergens in each dish: nuts, milk, gluten, sesame, soy and others people often cannot eat.
• For packed items that keep, ask what the label must show, such as a made-on or use-by date. Check the current rules for your area.
• Keep the menus you shared. If a customer asks later what was in last Tuesday's box, you can answer.

What hygiene habits should you set from day one?

Rules on hygiene differ by place, but good habits are the same everywhere. Set them up before your first sale and they quickly become normal.

• Wash hands before cooking, and after touching raw food, money or your phone.
• Keep raw and cooked food apart, with separate boards and knives.
• Use clean, safe water for cooking and washing. Ask your local food authority whether your water needs testing.
• Store dry food in closed containers, off the floor and away from cleaning products.
• Cool and refrigerate leftovers quickly, or do not keep them at all.
• Wash tiffins and bags every day, and check returned containers before you use them again.
• Cook fresh for each meal, and pack close to delivery time.

What about tax, insurance and customer numbers?

Tax and invoices

A small home kitchen may not owe extra tax at first, but many places have rules that start once you earn above a certain amount, or that ask for invoices or a tax registration. The amounts and rules change, so check the current rules for your area, or ask an accountant once a year. Good records make that talk short.

Insurance

Ask an insurance adviser whether you need cover for selling food, for example if a customer falls ill, or for delivery. It is worth knowing the answer either way.

Customer phone numbers

You will keep customers' names, phone numbers and addresses. Use them only to run your service, do not share them, and do not add people to groups or broadcast lists without asking. Some places have rules about personal data, so check the current rules for your area.

How do you keep all of this in order?

Make one folder, on paper or on your phone, for every licence, letter and receipt. Put a reminder in your calendar a month before anything needs renewing. And keep simple daily records of what you sold and what you spent: whoever you ask about tax or rules will want to see them.

For what to write down each day, week and month, read tiffin business records you should keep. HomeTiffin keeps your orders, payments and expenses as you work, and lets you download them as spreadsheets whenever you need them.