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Food Safety

There are over 2600 food businesses in Dudley supplying food to residents and visitors to the borough. The Council's dedicated team of food safety officers ensure that food is safe to eat and labelled and handled properly.

Registration

Before you start a new food business, or take over an existing business, you must register with the local authority. You should do this at least 28 days before you start trading.
If you are already trading and have not registered yet, you need to register as soon as possible, as this is a legal requirement.

Approval

If you make, prepare or handle food that comes from animals for supply to other businesses, your premises may need to be approved, as opposed to registered.

Starting up a food business

The Food Standards Agency has important guidance on choosing premises and the facilities that you’ll need to provide in a food business. There is also advice on health and safety and fire safety.

Food hygiene advice

The Food Standards Agency has food hygiene advice for your business and guidance on how to keep food safeThis includes information on food hygiene basics, online food safety training, industry guides to good food hygiene and E.coli cross-contamination guidance.

Food hygiene inspections

Food safety officers carry out regular inspections of food premises to check that businesses are complying with food law and producing food that is safe to eatThe Food Standards Agency have advice on how to prepare your business for food safety inspections.

Safer food, better business

The Food Standards Agency has produced the Safer Food, Better Business systems. These help create a documented food safety management system for many types of food business.

Food hygiene rating scheme

Eating out? Getting food in? Check the food hygiene rating. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives you information about the hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, and other places you like to go to eat out, as well as supermarkets and other food shops.

Complaints

If you have a complaint relating to a premises and/or food bought in Dudley, you can make a complaint to our food safety team.

Please note we are unable to obtain compensation from a business or pursue claims for personal injuryIf you wish to seek compensation, you should contact the business directly and/or seek your own legal adviceComplaints about poor-quality food and poor customer service should be made directly to the business or the ordering platform.

Food poisoning

If you think you have food poisoning from food purchased from a business in Dudley, you can make a complaint to our food safety team.

Allergens

The Food Standards Agency has produced allergen guidance for businesses. It includes information on allergen labelling and free food allergy training.

Packaging and labelling

The Food Standards Agency has advice on the legal requirements that you have to follow as a food business.

News and alerts

Subscribe to stay up to date with food and allergy alerts, Food Standards Agency news and consultations.

Enforcement and policies

Contact Us

Email: Food.DUE@dudley.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 555 2345 Monday to Friday, 8.45am - 5pm. Offices closed weekends and Bank Holidays

Environmental Health & Trading Standards - Food Team
4 Ednam Road
Dudley
West Midlands
DY1 1HL