Selling Food? What Licences Do You Need?

If you want to sell food to the public there are certain official standards you legally have to meet.

This is not only for restaurants, but for hawkers, hotels and inns, food trucks, soup kitchens and any other place that prepares food for people to eat. When we put food into our bodies, there is always the risk that we could get sick from it, and so the law has made plans to make sure that this happens as little as possible.

How do I get a licence to sell food?

Before you start selling food, you have to get a certificate of acceptability from your municipality's environmental health office. Selling food without one can mean fines, notices or even closure of the premises.

Depending on your municipality and what you sell, you may also need a business licence (required if you sell meals or perishable food) and zoning approval. The rules and the fees differ from one municipality to the next.

Only the 8 metros and the 44 district municipalities issue certificates of acceptability, so the office you need is not always your local municipality. The easiest way to get started is to contact the environmental health office that covers your area.

Find your environmental health office with our free food licence lookup

Do I need any other licences?

If you want to sell liquor, the law requires you to apply for a liquor licence.

If you want to play music, there are two licenses you need, one from SAMRO and one from SAMPRA.

Get cooking!

With this advice you can now start applying and get the paperwork done, soon you can be on your way to selling your secret recipe all over the country!

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