# Online food store: registration, labels and delivery in the EU How to start an online food store in the EU: food business registration, what the product page must show under Regulation 1169/2011 and cold delivery. Source: https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/food-online-store · CloudCart · 2026-11-06 In short: an online food store in the EU sells legally once the business is registered with the national food authority, each food comes from a registered or approved establishment, and the product page shows the label information before the purchase. Delivery keeps the storage temperature from the label, and perishable food is excluded from the 14-day right of withdrawal. This guide is for producers, delis, farm shops, bakeries and importers who want to sell packaged food to consumers anywhere in the EU. The common rules come from EU regulations that apply directly in every member state: the General Food Hygiene Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, the Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU. Each country adds its own registration procedure, deadlines and fines, so we use Bulgaria as a worked example. It is not legal advice: your national food authority confirms what applies to you. ## Do you need to register a food business to sell online? Yes. Under Article 6(2) of [Regulation (EC) No 852/2004](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004R0852), every food business operator notifies the competent authority of each establishment under its control, for registration, in the way that authority requires, and reports significant changes and closures. An online store selling food is a food business, whether you sell from a website, a social media profile or by phone. In practice you deal with two things, and in most countries they meet in the same registration: | | The establishment | The distance selling | | What it covers | The kitchen, production unit or warehouse where the food is made, packed or stored | Selling through your website, social media, phone or email, with delivery to the customer | | Legal basis in the EU | Regulation 852/2004, Article 6(2): registration; approval for certain products of animal origin | National law sets whether the online activity is registered separately or as part of the establishment | | Where you apply | The food authority responsible for the establishment's location | Usually the same authority | | What you describe | The food groups, the premises, the vehicles, your food safety system | The website and profiles, your suppliers, who delivers and how you trace each batch | The regulation does not apply to a producer who directly supplies small quantities of primary products, such as eggs, honey or vegetables, to the final consumer (Article 1(2)(c)). For that case each member state sets its own national rules, so check them before you rely on the exemption. Anything you process, such as jam, cakes or cheese, is outside it. ### Example: selling food online from Bulgaria If your business is in Bulgaria, the authority is the BFSA (Bulgarian Food Safety Agency), through its regional directorate where the establishment is located. The [Food Act (in Bulgarian)](https://lex.bg/laws/ldoc/2137203080) requires two entries in the BFSA register: the establishment, and a separate registration for distance trade, filed at least 14 days before you start. The directorate checks the application within 5 working days. Foods for special medical purposes may not be sold at a distance at all. Distance trade in breach of the rules carries a fine of 4,000 to 6,000 BGN for a business (about €2,045 to €3,068 at the fixed rate), and the same range applies to breaches of Regulation 1169/2011. ## How to get ready to sell food online: 7 steps Allow a few weeks from the application to the first order, because the authority needs time to register you and may inspect the premises first. - Set up the business. A registered company or sole trader, with the VAT registration your country requires. - Sort out the premises. Your own registered kitchen or warehouse, rented space in a registered establishment, or a contract with a registered producer who stores the goods for you. - Decide who delivers. Your own vans or bikes, a parcel courier, or an on-demand service such as Glovo or Wolt. Most authorities ask for this in the application. - Write the traceability plan. Who you buy each food from, with which batch number, and which customer received it. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 requires every food business to trace one step back and one step forward. - Prepare the product information. The mandatory label particulars for every product, as text you can put on the product page (see the table below). - Apply to the food authority. In the form and by the deadline your country sets. If the application is incomplete, the clock usually stops until you fix it. - Keep the register up to date. A new website, a new courier or a new address is reported, and so is closing the business (Article 6(2) of Regulation 852/2004). > A store for €1 €1/month for the first 3 months While the authority processes your application, you can upload the catalogue, write the label information and set up delivery. The first 3 months on any plan cost €1/month, so the store is ready on the day your registration takes effect. Create a store for €1 → ## What food can you sell online? EU law has no list of foods that are allowed online. Any food that is safe and legally on the market can be sold at a distance, unless your national law excludes a category, as Bulgaria does for foods for special medical purposes. Four conditions apply to every product: - From a registered or approved establishment. Cakes, chutneys or cheese from an unregistered home kitchen cannot be sold online, however small the quantities. - Packaged for the journey. Prepacked food, or food packed in your premises for the customer's order, in packaging intended for contact with food under Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. - Labelled in the right language. The mandatory information appears in a language easily understood by consumers in each country where you sell, and each country may require its own official language (Article 15 of Regulation 1169/2011). Chilled and frozen food is easiest to deliver locally first. Pet food is registered under feed law instead, see [how to start a pet shop online](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/pet-shop-online-store). Wine and spirits add excise duty and age checks, see [selling wine online](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/wine-alcohol-online-store). ## What the product page must show under Regulation 1169/2011 For prepacked food sold online, all mandatory food information except the date marking must be available before the purchase is concluded, on the website or by other clearly identified means at no extra cost, and all particulars, including the date, must be available at delivery. This is Article 14 of [Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169), which has applied since 13 December 2014. | Mandatory particular (Article 9(1)) | On the product page before the order | On the pack at delivery | | Name of the food | Yes | Yes | | List of ingredients | Yes | Yes | | Allergens, emphasised in the ingredients | Yes | Yes | | Quantity of certain ingredients (for example "strawberries 40%") | Yes | Yes | | Net quantity | Yes | Yes | | "Use by" or "best before" date | Not required | Yes | | Storage conditions and conditions of use | Yes | Yes | | Name and address of the food business operator | Yes | Yes | | Country of origin, where required | Yes | Yes | | Instructions for use, where needed | Yes | Yes | | Alcohol strength for drinks above 1.2% by volume | Yes | Yes | | Nutrition declaration | Yes | Yes | The allergens are the 14 groups in Annex II: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide and sulphites above the threshold, lupin and molluscs. In the ingredients list they stand out by font, style or background colour (Article 21). On the physical label, the minimum x-height is 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm when the largest surface of the pack is under 80 cm², as explained on [Your Europe's page on food labelling](https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/food-labelling/general-rules/index_en.htm). For non-prepacked food, such as a cake packed in your premises for an order, you give at least the allergens (Article 44), and when you sell at a distance they too are shown before the order (Article 14(2)). ### How to lay out a food product page - The label as a photo and as text. Upload a clear photo of the back label and also type out the ingredients with the allergens in bold, because search engines, AI assistants and screen readers do not read the photo. - Nutrition as a table. Energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt per 100 g or 100 ml, exactly as on the label. - Storage and the shelf life you guarantee. The storage temperature from the label and the minimum remaining shelf life on delivery, for example "delivered with at least 10 days before the date". - The producer with an address. The name and address from the label, and for imports, the importer. ## "Use by" and "best before": what the dates mean for your store A "use by" date goes on foods that are highly perishable from a microbiological point of view, and after that date the food is deemed unsafe (Article 24 of Regulation 1169/2011). A "best before" date, the date of minimum durability, shows until when the food keeps its qualities when stored properly. | | "Use by" | "Best before" | | Type of date | Safety date | Date of minimum durability | | Typical foods | Fresh meat and fish, fresh milk, ready salads | Honey, pasta, tins, tea, coffee, chocolate | | After the date | Deemed unsafe and not sold | The producer no longer guarantees the qualities | In an online store the clock keeps running while the parcel is with the courier. Work on "first expiry, first out", and do not put a "use by" product in a parcel if the date is closer than the delivery time plus at least 2 to 3 days for the customer. Sell a batch close to its date at a lower price, with a text label on the product such as "Short date". In CloudCart, labels are created in Products → Banners and labels and are attached automatically to the products of a chosen category, brand, tag or selection, for example every product tagged "short date". They are available on the plans that include product labels, as listed on [pricing](https://cloudcart.com/en/pricing). ## Food delivery: cold chain, couriers and your own transport Under Annex II, Chapter IV of Regulation 852/2004, vehicles and containers used for food are kept clean, are not used for anything that could contaminate the food, and where necessary can keep food at the right temperature and allow it to be monitored. In practice chilled food stays chilled and frozen food stays frozen until it reaches the customer. | Delivery method | Suits | What to check | | Parcel courier (for example GLS, DHL, or several couriers through Sendcloud) | Dry and long-life food, nationwide and across the EU | The courier's written terms for food and perishables, and the transit time to each country | | Your own van or car | Chilled and frozen food in your city and region | The vehicle is declared to your food authority if your country requires it; a cool box or refrigerated compartment | | Glovo or Wolt Drive | Same-day delivery within hours, where the service operates in your city | The same hygiene rules apply to their couriers; declare the partner if your authority asks | ### Cold chain with a parcel courier The cold chain is the unbroken control of the food's temperature from the warehouse to the customer. With a parcel courier it depends on the packaging: an insulated box or bag, ice packs sized for the transit time, and home delivery with the shortest service. Ship chilled parcels early in the week, so they do not sit in a depot over the weekend. Shipping costs, and when to set a threshold above which you pay for delivery, are worked out in the guide to [the free shipping threshold and choosing a courier](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/free-shipping-threshold-couriers). > Delivery Couriers at checkout and time slots for your own delivery GLS, DHL and the couriers in Sendcloud show the delivery price at checkout, and the shipping label is created from the order. For your own transport, the customer picks a day and a time slot, and you cap the number of orders in each slot. How shipping works in CloudCart → ## Returns, payment and VAT when you sell food online In every EU country, consumers have 14 days to withdraw from an online purchase without giving a reason (Article 9 of the [Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011L0083)). Article 16 excludes three cases that matter for food: - Goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly (point d): fresh bread, meat, dairy, fruit, ready meals. - Goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised (point c): a birthday cake with a name on it. - Sealed goods unsealed after delivery that cannot be returned for health protection or hygiene reasons (point e). Long-life food in a closed pack, such as honey, tea, coffee or tins, generally keeps the 14-day right of withdrawal. State the exceptions in your terms and on the product page. Food that arrives spoiled or past its date is a claim under the legal guarantee, whatever the exception. Refund deadlines and the withdrawal form are in the guide to [returns and consumer rights for online stores](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/returns-consumer-rights-online-store). Food is taxed at reduced VAT rates in many member states, and the rate differs from country to country. If you sell to consumers in other EU countries, a combined threshold of €10,000 a year applies to those distance sales; above it you charge the VAT of the customer's country and can declare it through the One Stop Shop (OSS) with one registration ([Your Europe, cross-border VAT](https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/taxation/vat/cross-border-vat/index_en.htm)). OSS step by step is in the guide to [EU VAT for cross-border sales](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/oss-eu-vat-cross-border-sales). > CloudCart Pay 0% transaction fee through Dec 31, 2026 Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay are built into checkout. When the customer pays in advance, the payment is confirmed with the order, so a chilled parcel is never sent back unpaid. From Jan 1, 2027 the fee is 1.29% + €0.05 for consumer cards from the EEA and 2.69% + €0.05 for all other cards, excluding VAT. How CloudCart Pay works → ## How to set up an online food store in CloudCart In CloudCart, a food store is set up with four tools in the admin: properties for allergens and storage, the Grocery Store app for selling by weight, the Delivery time app for slots on your own delivery, and the built-in couriers. ### Properties: allergens and storage as filters In Products → Properties you create a property such as "Allergens" with the values "no gluten", "no lactose", "contains nuts", or "Storage" with "room temperature", "chilled", "frozen". You attach it to the categories, and with "Use as filter" it becomes a filter on the category page, so a shopper with an allergy finds suitable products in two clicks. Variants and import are on the [product catalogue](https://cloudcart.com/en/catalog) page. ### Selling by the kilo: the Grocery Store app The Grocery Store app adds units of measure to products: kilogram, gram, litre, millilitre and your own units such as "bunch" or "dozen", with up to 3 decimal places. The customer orders 0.5 kg of cheese, and the unit shows under the price, for example "/ kg". After install, the customer stays on the product list after adding an item to the cart, so they can fill the basket without leaving the page. ### Delivery day and time: the Delivery time app The Delivery time app is installed from Apps and is available depending on the plan. It works with shipping methods that have no courier integration, in other words your own delivery: - for each day you set time slots, for example 10:00 to 12:00, 14:00 to 16:00 and 18:00 to 20:00, and a limit of orders per slot; - you add exceptions for holidays and days off; - with the category lead time switched on, each category gets a preparation time in hours, so a made-to-order cake is offered no earlier than, say, 48 hours later. For same-day delivery in the city, Glovo and Wolt Drive are set up as shipping methods, Glovo for each location with a per-kilometre tariff and opening hours. Parcel couriers such as GLS, DHL and those in Sendcloud create the shipping label from the order; see [shipping and couriers](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/shipping-couriers). Restaurants and bakeries have a page on [online ordering with Glovo and Wolt delivery](https://cloudcart.com/en/offer/restaurant-online-ordering) and a guide to [Wolt Drive and Glovo in CloudCart](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/restaurants-glovo-wolt). ### A store per country With the Multilang app, each language gets its own store linked to your main one, with copied products, AI translation and prices adjusted by a multiplier, so every country sees the food information in its language. See [multilingual and multi-currency stores](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/multilanguage-multicurrency-multistore). > 0% commission 0% of your sales on every plan When part of the stock is written off because of its date, every percentage point of turnover counts. CloudCart takes no percentage of your orders: you pay a fixed monthly plan, from Baby Pack at €14 a month billed annually, excluding VAT, as listed on pricing . How 0% commission works → ## Frequently asked questions **Do I need to register to sell food online?** Yes. Under Article 6(2) of Regulation 852/2004, every food business notifies its national food authority of each establishment for registration, and an online store selling food is a food business. Some countries also register the distance selling separately, Bulgaria for example, at least 14 days before you start. **Can I sell homemade food online?** Only if it is made in an establishment registered with your food authority. Food from an unregistered home kitchen cannot be sold at a distance. The exemption for small quantities of primary products, such as eggs or honey from your own farm, depends on national rules. **What information must be on the website for each food?** All mandatory particulars from Article 9 of Regulation 1169/2011 except the date: name, ingredients with emphasised allergens, net quantity, storage conditions, the operator's name and address, nutrition declaration and origin where required. They must be available before the purchase, at no extra cost, in a language the customer understands. **Can I ship food with a parcel courier?** Yes, as long as the food stays at the temperature on its label. Dry and long-life products travel well with a standard courier. For chilled food use an insulated box with ice packs, the fastest service and only destinations reached within 24 to 48 hours. **Can customers return food bought online?** Not under the 14-day right of withdrawal for food that deteriorates or expires rapidly, personalised items such as a cake with a name, or sealed goods opened after delivery that cannot be returned for hygiene reasons (Article 16 of Directive 2011/83/EU). Long-life food in a closed pack can usually be returned. Spoiled or expired food is always a claim. **What is the difference between "use by" and "best before"?** "Use by" is the safety date on highly perishable food, and after it the food is deemed unsafe and cannot be sold. "Best before" is the date of minimum durability: until then the producer guarantees the food's qualities when it is stored properly. **Which language must food information be in when I sell to other EU countries?** In a language easily understood by consumers in each country where the food is marketed, and each member state may require one or more of its official languages (Article 15 of Regulation 1169/2011). This applies both to the label and to the information on the product page. Questions about units, delivery slots or couriers in your store? Write to us at [support@cloudcart.com](https://cloudcart.commailto:support@cloudcart.com). You can start today: [Create a store for €1](https://cloudcart.com/en/offer/online-store-for-1-euro).