Find out more, and whether you need to register if you haven't already, from the Food Standards Agency website.

Some manufacturers handling products of animal origin may need to be approved by either Shropshire Council or the Meat Hygiene Service in addition to registration – see ‘Approvals’ below.

If food is being sold at one-off events such as church fêtes and school fairs, it doesn't need to be registered.

If you provide food to the public on a very infrequent basis (even where this is not a one-off event) you may not need to be registered. This will depend on the scope of the activity. Further guidelines can be found on the Food Standards Agency website.

We enter all the information given onto our confidential register. From that register the name of your business (if any), the address of the business, the business telephone number and the type of business carried out will be open to inspection by the general public. Records of all other information provided will not be publicly available.

No. The registration is just a way of telling us that you prepare or handle food. There's no certificate. Once we've processed your information onto our system you'll receive an email confirming that you've been registered.

Once you've registered with us you only need to notify us of a change of proprietor, if the nature of the business changes or if the business ceases trading. The new proprietor will have to complete a new registration form.

These notes are provided for information only and should not be regarded as a complete statement of law.

If you're in the Shropshire Council area and think you need to apply for approval, please complete the relevant form. Please ensure that you've first checked that Shropshire Council is the correct enforcing authority.

For more information on approvals in the Shropshire Council area please email food@shropshire.gov.uk .