Making and selling my own food from home

Question

I would love to get into catering and I'm thinking of starting off by selling preserves, jams and mayonnaise. I have a lot of cooking experience and enjoy it very much. I've been advised to go into catering from home, but I don't want to go in headfirst without finding out the legalities, such as health and safety laws. How can I find out about these issues?

What the expert says

Alison Clarke, human resources director, Whitbread Restaurants

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My advice would be to make contact with your local authority Environmental Health and Trading Standards departments. They will be able to advise you on the general and specific legislative requirements associated with producing food at home from a food safety, food hygiene, trading standards (labelling, weights and measures etc) perspective. There are recognised food safety hazards associated with the production of preserves, jams and mayonnaise, and it is critical that these hazards are fully understood and controlled before offering products to the general public. In addition, the Internet offers a wealth of information and advice for small businesses. Try the following sites: [www.foodstandards.gov.uk](http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk) and [www.tradingstandards.gov.uk