A pensioner has been told off by her local council for selling homemade sausage rolls at a neighbourhood yard sale. Jo Taylor, 73, was “shocked” to receive a letter from Norwich City Council warning that her stall at a local “table top sale” in the city amounted to a food business and advising that next time she should register it with the local authority. The pensioner, who has previously sold pasties and jam for charity at neighbourhood events, kept the modest £30 proceeds she made from the yard sale on July 19 – but it didn’t cross her mind that doing so could subject her to business checks including a hygiene inspection.
“If you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute food, you may be considered a food business and will need to register with your local authority,” the letter read. “I was shocked at first, and then slightly amused to think someone really thought I had a business selling sausage rolls,” Ms Taylor said.
“I just think they do not have anything better to do,” she told the Norwich Evening News. “Either that, or they are jealous of my sausage rolls.”
“It has come to our attention that you may be operating an unregistered food business,” the communications from the council continued. “Legally, businesses must register with the local authority in which they are based 28 days before opening. New food businesses are inspected shortly after they open and given a Food Hygiene Rating.”
The 73-year-old’s fellow local sellers also reacted with outrage to the letter. One person said: “Absolutely ridiculous. Are they going to start handing out fines to lemonade stands and bake sales next?”
Ms Taylor said the council later confirmed to her that no further action would be taken.
Organisers of the neighbourhood yard sale also said they had “clarified the position” with the local authority.
They wrote on Facebook: “The council are not trying to stop you selling as a one-off activity. Instead, they want to make sure that people who sell as a business on a regular basis are registered.
“For small one-off events like [this], there is a good awareness of food hygiene issues.”
Norwich City Council has been contacted for comment.