Approved Premises
If you operate food premises which handles, prepares or produces products of animal origin, you may need to be approved by the Comhairle. Registration as a food business is not required for establishments that are subject to approval.
Examples of types of premises that are required to be approved by local authorities are standalone (i.e. not attached to a slaughter house, cutting plant or game handling establishment):
- Meat processing plants
- Meat preparation plants
- Minced meat processing operations
- Dispatch of live shellfish
- Shellfish cleansing
- Fishery products
- Egg products producer
- Dairy products producer
- Certain cold stores
- Certain wholesale markets
This process involves filling out an application for approval form, which are available from any of our food officers – who will also provide advice relevant to the proposed approved establishment. Information which is required together with the application form include a floor plan of the premises, proposed arrangements for product testing and a description of the proposed Food Safety Management System.
To gain approval, establishments have to fully meet the requirements of the regulations, and any other requirements of food law relevant to the type of establishment. Once approved, the premises is then assigned an individual approval number, which must be applied to all products being handled on that premises before being placed on the market. This number helps indicate that the product has been produced in an approved establishment in accordance with legal requirements.
There are exemptions from the requirements for approval, depending on the size and scope of your business. Please Contact Us for advice.
More information for shellfish harvesters and processors can be found on our Shellfish Harvesting page.
Advice for selling eggs from your own hens and handling wild game can be found on our Primary Producers page.
The Food Standards Agency have designed a free Safe Smoked Fish Tool to help smoked fish producers manage the risk of contamination of their product by Listeria monocytogenes, as it is often found in the production areas of manufacturers of chilled ready-to-eat foods such as smoked fish.
More information for manufacturers can be found on the Food Standards Scotland (Manufacturers) website.
Please Contact Us if you require further information.