Food Business in Ireland

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Food Business in Ireland- How to set up a Food business in Ireland

So you arrive in Ireland, thousands of miles away from the place you once called home. Its cold, its wet, its miserable and very unfamiliar to name but a few uncomfortable truths but you slowly get used to it one day at a time. One thing you struggle to get used to though is not being able to buy all those handy little things that were widely available at every shop or garage in South Africa.

That packet of biltong or droëwors you quickly grab on the go or popping into the home bakery shop to top up the tin of rusks or grab a milktart and some koeksisters to have when friends drop in for a cuppa. Soon you’re scouring good ould Google for recipes and tuturials on how to make these treats yourself after you saw the astronomical prices being charged by the handful of Saffas that actually already make and sell these treats in Ireland, and before long you’re bragging to your family and friends about your new found skill on the nearest social media page.

This is easy you think, and soo much cheaper than buying and then suddenly the idea spring to mind. But I can make a bit of money with this. Everybody thinks my latest batch of biltong is just fabulous so I’ll just make a bigger batch next time and sell it which I can do for half the price than what the establised Biltong suppliers charge. If this sound familiar and you’ve thought about starting your own food business in Ireland, even only on a small scale, you have much more than just making and selling to keep in mind.

There are several hoops to jump through and regulations that needs to be adhered to and yes, you guessed it, red tape items that all cost money and adds to overheads you never even heard of. In Ireland all foods manufatured and sold to consumers, ie people outside your own household, has to be made and supplied by someone registered with the HSE (Health Service Executive) for low risk foods, or have approval from the FSAI (Food Safety Authority Ireland) for high risk foods.

HSE

FSAI

RTE (Ready-to-eat) animal origin products like Biltong goes that step futher where it also has to be produced and packed in a risk controlled approved facility (Not your kitchen worktop). Kitting out a facility like this certainly does not come cheap. Everything has to be food grade wipe clean surfaces from the ceiling down to the walls, floor and every piece of furniture. Each piece of equipement has to be food grade and needs to have a cleaning procedure documented in your detailed HACCP plan.

HACCP Training

Most baked goods like Milktart, Koeksisters, Hertzoggies etc would fall within the low risk category where you need to be registered and your kitchen has to be deemed fit for purpose after inspection by one of the local HSE team. Biltong and Droëwors though fall in the latter category which means making it in your kitchen and drying it in a box somewhere in your house before selling it in cute little bags will land you in trouble sooner rather than later.

You need full approval with your registration which also means you need a specific HACCP plan which outlines the temperature and safety checks that not only needs to be adhered to, but also needs to be recorded and logged during every step of the manufacturing process for every single batch. These are checked by the Vet-inspector on a monthly basis and full tracebility for every batch needs to be noted together with your Aw (Water activity level) which has to be below a cerain reading where most bacteria stops growing. Then there is the safety net spot checks of product samples and enviromental swabs from your premises that needs to be sent to the labs regularly to test for any harmful bacteria that might have crept into your manufacturing line. These are not just applicable to large factories. Even the smallest sole-trader manufaturer working with animal origin RTE food products need to adhere to these rules and checks.

Further, for both low and high risk products, there are specific requirements that the packaging and labeling must comply with in regards to ingredients and possible allergens. You also need to have all the proper liability insurance in place just in case someone happens to get sick from eating your product.You will most certainly not be able to cover the cost of a lawsuit in Ireland out of your own pocket. Hopefully by now you have realised there is a huge difference between making food products for home use and making it to sell. It most certainly is achievable to start your own food business and do everything above board, but you need to do your homework and do it properly. Contacting your local authority for advice and guidance is usually the best place to start once you’ve researched everything you can online. Getting them involved before you start will put you on a better footing with the inspectors and agents you’re going to be working closely with for as long as you are in business and they can also help with set-up grants etc. The last thing you need is to be on the wrong side of the FSAI or HSE before you’ve even properly settled into Ireland.

Anything that brings you under the authorities attention for the wrong reasons can have a lasting impact that might come back and haunt you once you go down the road of perhaps applying for Naturalization or can even hamper any further ventures where you might need to apply for grants, funding, loans etc in the future.

Wishing you all the best with all your adventures in Ireland!


 

Important links: 

 

  #MapMyMove- Our coaching Services - Confused or lost and need some direction, book a session with us to help untangle the confusion and work out your route of immigration

   Which Residency Stamps can Start a Business in Ireland?

   Starting a business on South African Passports

   Business on Stamp4, Stamp4EUfam and Stamp5

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