Free, impartial legal guidance for businesses
The basics
Unsure of the law on trading standards or whether the rules apply to you? Find out how the law sees businesses that sell to consumers
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Concise guidance
Want answers right now? Quick Guides are arranged by what, where and how you sell to help you find the information you need
Quick Guides
Detailed information
Know what you're looking for, or want to browse a list of specific guidance arranged by category? In-depth Guides deliver the detail
In-Depth GuidesBusiness in focus
Holiday parks
Guidance for holiday park owners and operators selling holiday caravans / holiday lodges for private ownership
Read MoreBusiness Companion provides information for businesses and individuals that need to know about trading standards and consumer protection legislation
The site delivers guidance by default for England, but if you are trading in Scotland or Wales, you should choose your location using the drop-down list at the top of the page. This is because some laws apply to just one or two of the countries, while others extend to all three GB countries or the whole of the UK.
For guidance on the law in Northern Ireland, please see nibusinessinfo.co.uk
The guidance is divided up into 15 broad Quick Guides and each one contains a number of more detailed In-depth Guides.
There may be rules you are not aware of, so make sure you explore the site thoroughly.
If you don't know where to begin, or you're a new business, click Get Started above.
New In-depth Guides
Animal gatherings (new for Scotland)
Bovine viral diarrhoea (new for England)
High fat, sugar or salt (less healthy) foods (England only)
Single-use plastics (new for Wales)
'Guidance for Scotland on food labelling etc'
Latest news
Next phase of the ban on single-use plastics
Since 1 October, single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays, cutlery and balloon sticks, and XPS / EPS polystyrene food or drink containers and cups have been banned in England, along with other products that were banned previously (subject to certain exemptions). Scotland has also banned certain single-use plastic products and Wales's first piece of legislation on the subject will come into force on 30 October. More >
Guidance for Scotland on food labelling etc
Traditionally, food labelling laws have not been enforced by the Trading Standards service in Scotland, but rather by Environmental Health. For this reason, Business Companion has not featured Scottish versions of our guidance in this area. However, in order to provide more comprehensive guidance we have now started to publish In-depth Guides on food for Scotland. More >
Use of CE mark extended indefinitely
The UK Government has announced that the CE mark may continue to be applied to most goods for an indefinite period. This follows the previous deadline of 24 December 2024, by which businesses were to use the UKCA mark instead. More >
Changes to the law on the sale of poisons and explosives precursors
The law on the sale of these products is changing on 1 October 2023 via the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023. The Home Office has published guidance on these changes, which is available on the GOV.UK website. More >
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