A food business is defined as ‘any undertaking, whether for profit or not and whether public or private, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of production, processing and distribution of food.’
It is the responsibility of individual food business operators to comply with the relevant food safety and food hygiene legislation that applies to their food business and to ensure that the food they produce is safe.
It is a legal requirement for food business operators to notify each unit of their food business to the relevant Competent Authority. The HSE National Environmental Health Service is a Competent Authority and typically inspects businesses like restaurants, delis, retailers, mobile food businesses, food stalls and some manufacturing premises, including microbreweries.
Notification of a food business should be made to the HSE National Environmental Health Service before the business starts operating, including where the business is operated from home. A separate notification must be submitted for each food business being notified.
Notification can be done through our online portal or by contacting the local Environmental Health Office where the food business is located. There is no fee for submitting a food business notification to the HSE National Environmental Health Service. The food business notification details provided to the HSE must be accurate and kept up-to-date.
If there are changes to any of the details for a food business notification, including where a food business ceases trading, the HSE must be notified. In some cases, a new notification may be required.
If you have any queries or difficulties submitting online food business notifications, you can contact the HSE, National Environmental Health Service at foodbusinessnotification@hse.ie.
If you have any general queries about your food business or on any of the above, contact the local environmental health office for the area in which the business is located.
For further information on food law and food safety, go to Food Safety Authority of Ireland webpage.
