Before you begin
What this tool needs
Choose the activity you expect at launch, not a distant expansion plan.
If products or customer types vary, select the route with the highest level of control.
Use current quotes for variable costs where you have them. Leave a cost at zero only when it is genuinely not needed or still unknown.
Reading the answer
What your result means
The named authority is a likely first contact. It is not an approval or a legal determination.
Finish everything under ‘Before spending’ before you sign a lease or order a fit-out.
Boundaries
Assumptions and limitations
Working assumptions
- Most direct-to-consumer businesses begin with HSE Environmental Health registration.
- Manufacturing, wholesale and certain foods of animal origin can require another competent authority or approval.
- Built-in CRO online filing fees come from the official fee schedules and are reviewed with the result.
Where to be careful
- The tool cannot classify every product, process or local-authority permission.
- Confirm the final route with FSAI or the competent authority before trading.
- Training, insurance, licences, premises, equipment and working-capital figures come from your entries; the tool does not invent a market average.
Common questions
Questions about this tool
Do home food businesses have to register?
Yes. FSAI states that a food business must register before operating, including one run from home.
Is registration the same as approval?
No. Some activities, particularly certain animal-origin processing or wholesale supply, may require formal approval before trade.
Is the starting budget a typical Irish launch cost?
No. The CRO online filing fee is current and built in; premises, equipment, training, insurance, stock and working capital use the figures you enter because they vary too widely for one honest average.