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Food business insurance

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Food business insurance from £1.61 a day*

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Our UK broker team are on-hand to talk through quotes

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Bionic provides business insurance for small businesses, including hospitality

Get cover to protect against employees, customers and more with no unnecessary add-ons

Bionic is trusted by UK businesses and won 'Highly Commended' at the 2025 Insurance Broker Awards

What is...

food business insurance?

Whatever ‘food’ you sell – or even if you supply ingredients to other vendors, there are risks to your business.

A customer might get food poisoning after eating or drinking something you sold them. You may have to close if your premises are flooded. And then there’s the risk of working with hot surfaces and sharp knives. Whatever the risks, you can’t eliminate them completely.  

Having the right food business insurance for your premises could help protect it against unforeseen events and help give you a financial safety net in case you need to pay for damages, so you can focus on what’s most important — running your business.

What type of food businesses need insurance?

Whatever cuisine is on offer, from pancakes and crepes to Mexican tacos and homemade bakes, you’ll still need the right amount of insurance. We can help cover the following businesses:

No matter the size of your business, from home kitchens to multi-site premises, every business can benefit from the right protection. If you’re a food retailer or manufacturer, we can also offer cover. Find out more today by starting a quote online, and our insurance team will guide you through the process.

Why is food business insurance important?

No matter the type of food or drink you serve, if a claim is made against you, your bank account could be drained by compensation payments. Food business insurance could help protect you from a wide range of risks, including the following:

  • A customer gets food poisoning from food you’ve served
  • A customer gets sick caused by cross-contamination
  •  An accidental fire breaks out in your kitchen
  • A customer slips on a greasy floor, causing injury
Start a quote online

Or speak to one of our team on 0800 032 7925

Learn what insurance you need for your food business from Laura, our Small Business Editor.

How much does food business insurance cost?

Prices could start from around £1.61 per day*. 

Your food business insurance costs may vary depending on the size of your business, where it’s located, claims history, and the policies you take out. The insurer you choose can also affect the cost.

Speak to a member of our insurance team to find out how much you can expect to pay for an annual package.

*This price is for a pubs and restaurant policy – 10% of customers who were sold with one of our panel providers paid £588.20 or less annually (excluding any additional administration fees) between 01/01/25 & 31/12/2025. Equivalent to £49.02 a month or £1.61 a day (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). Your actual policy and price may vary based on your business requirements.

Could you reduce food business insurance costs?

Running a food business means having the right insurance in place, but managing these costs doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are some practical steps that could help you lower your food business insurance costs and help protect your premises, equipment and customers: 

  • Demonstrate strong risk management - Keeping equipment well-maintained and regularly assessing potential hazards could show insurers that your food business is lower risk, which may help reduce your insurance costs. 
  • Improve health and safety practices - From rigid hygiene routines to clear food-handling procedures, improving your health and safety practices could lower the likelihood of accidents or injuries on your premises. 
  • Invest in better security - Installing safety and security measures such as fire alarms, extinguishers, CCTV and secure locks helps protect your premises and could reduce the likelihood of claims for theft, fire or damage. 
  • Review insurance quotes regularly - Insurance costs can vary between providers. Comparing restaurant insurance quotes using a comparison service, like Bionic, each year helps you ensure you’re not paying more than necessary for coverage. 

Can you get home food business insurance?

Yes, we can provide cover for your home food business.  

However, it’s important to note that food business insurance isn’t the same as home food business insurance. Traditional insurance for different types of food businesses is for business who run from a commercial premises, and so it doesn’t cover home-based businesses. Home food business insurance is for individuals preparing and selling food from their own kitchen. It could help protect you from particular risks that come with running a business from home. 

Our insurance for home food businesses can be tailored to fit your needs. It could include public liability insurance, stock insurance, business equipment insurance, legal expenses insurance and more. Policies vary per provider, always check what cover is and isn’t included in your policy. 

Are you covered for food poisoning?

You need to be wary of correct food storage, and preparation when you run any type of food business. But mistakes can sometimes happen. When they do, it’s best to have your back covered.

Public liability insurance can be included as standard in packages with Bionic. This could help cover compensation costs or any legal fees associated with customer claims for sickness due to food poisoning.  

Remember, all insurance policies are subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions. It's important to make sure you understand what is and isn’t covered by your policy.

Why insure your food business with Bionic

Bionic is the comparison site for small businesses and we help and support in any way we can.

We work with a panel of trusted insurers, providing different types of cover that can be tailored to the exact needs of your food business.

We focus on getting you the right cover by carrying out a business insurance comparison to find competitive quotes that fit. Get in touch with us today  to compare small food business insurance by starting a quote online.  

Compare business insurance quotes

Or speak to one of our team on 0800 032 7925

How Bionic business insurance comparison works

Compare insurance quotes in three simple steps
1

Start your quote online

Speed up the process by submitting basic business details online – whenever you have time. 

2

Speak to our UK-based team

Schedule a call with one of our insurance brokers to discuss the details to ensure they’re correct. 

3

Compare tailored quotes

Get your quotes from our panel of trusted insurers and through any questions with our team. 

What do I need to get started?

You only need a few details to get started with getting a free business insurance quote online, so it’s best to have the following information ready to go: 

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Your business name and trade

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Your policy start date

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Your name and contact details to receive your quote options

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You may be asked additional questions about business activities

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Food Business Insurance FAQs

Do you need insurance to serve hot food?

If you’re serving hot food, you need to tell your broker, as it comes with extra risks. It’s a good idea to have public liability insurance to cover against injury or sickness whilst on the premises and product liability insurance to cover against the hot food you’re selling.

As with any policy, different limits and exclusions apply. Always refer to your policy wording for details.

This insurance will help protect you if an employee drops hot food on a customer damaging their expensive clothing or causing them burns, and they make a claim against you.

Do you need business insurance to deliver food?

If your business has a food delivery service, business insurance may only cover the food being delivered, not the vehicle. In this case, you may need additional food delivery insurance or standard third-party cover.

This provides cover for the delivery driver and vehicle delivering the food against car accidents. It normally costs more than standard car insurance because the drivers are likely to be out at busy times of the day, which creates a higher risk of incidents. At Bionic, unfortunately, we cannot arrange cover for your vehicle, so you’ll need to arrange this separately.

What about alcoholic drinks?

If your business sells alcohol of any kind in the UK, you need a premises license and at least one designated supervisor with a personal license. This allows an employee to sell alcohol on behalf of any business that has a premises license. This is not the same as business insurance and is something you need to arrange separately with the UK government.

Read more about business licenses in this guide.

Can you cover deep-fat fryers?

Frying chips, nuggets and other food items causes extra fire risks so you need to tell your broker if you use deep-fat fryers in your kitchen and make sure cover is included in your policy. 

Getting cover for deep-fat fryers might increase the cost of your insurance, but it’s important to have the right level of cover to protect your business.

Can insurance help cover costs if your food business is forced to close temporarily?

If you take out business interruption as part of your business insurance package, then it can help cover ongoing costs in certain circumstances. 

For example, if a fire or flooding causes damage to your property and forces you to close and stop trading temporarily, business interruption insurance can help cover the loss of income or profit.

You would also need to consider your building cover, stock and contents cover to ensure the repairs are also insured.

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