As anyone setting up their own home bakery business knows, there’s a lot more to it than simply making cakes. And the business side of things can get confusing. As a home bakery business like Polka Pops in Preston, Lancashire (pictured above), it’s important to have the right insurance in place to protect you should anything go wrong. But working out exactly what you need can be a difficult and time consuming process that takes you away from what you want to be doing –baking!
smei can take the hard work out of insurance by searching for the right cover for you, at the right price.
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Why Public Liability Insurance For Home Baking Businesses is so Important
As with any food production business, home bakeries have their risks. You will be working with potentially dangerous equipment, and as you’re preparing food for the public you’re responsible for ensuring it is safe to eat. You should be adhering to health and safety measures, but things can still go wrong and insurance will protect you should that happen. For example, if someone was to have an allergic reaction to something in your food then as long as it was labelled properly your insurance would cover you against any claim for compensation.
About the Home Baking Industry
Whilst bakeries have been popular for centuries, there has been a huge rise in people who bake at home. There’s so much to think about when running a small business, and when you’re working on your own it can be easy to miss some things. And insurance is vital for protecting your business and livelihood should anything go wrong. But help is at hand – discussing your insurance with smei means we can help you find an insurance package that is right for you, making sure that you’re fully insured, and at the right price. We aim to provide you with peace of mind and more time for you to spend on the rest of your home baking business.
If you're ready to move from home baking to setting up your own bakery, check out our bakery insurance page.
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Frequently asked questions
As a business providing food to the public, you'll be adhering to the relevant health and safety and food production measures, but things can still go wrong. You need home baking public liability insurance to cover you if, for example, someone has an allergic reaction to your food and they make a claim against you. Public liability insurance isn't a legal requirement, but it can cover the costs of any compensation due and legal fees associated with claims.
As you constantly have members of the public filtering in and out of your supermarket, pubic liability insurance is essential. This cover will protect you if a shopper has an accident or their property is damaged as a result of you or your employee's negligence. If you have employees, by law you need employers liability insurance. This protects you if an employee becomes injured or seriously ill as a result of working for you. Stock insurance should be a high priority. Without your stock, you wouldn't be able to run your business. This type of cover protects you if your stock is damaged or stolen and needs replacing. It can also be increased around key dates when you would carry goods that are more expensive than usual, like at Christmas for example.
Some types of insurance may be a legal requirement. Others will protect you and your supermarket in the event of a claim but are not compulsory. Not having the right insurance or inappropriate cover for your supermarket could be a false economy. For example, if you don't have public liability insurance and a customer trips over a box left on the floor you may be liable to pay costs of compensation. Therefore, it's important to consider all the risks facing your supermarket and match your insurance protection to your requirements which should provide you with peace of mind that a potential claim won't damage your business.
Some types of insurance may be a legal requirement. Others will protect you and your charity shop in the event of a claim but are not compulsory. Your charity will likely to be interacting with members of the public on a daily basis, which means there's a risk of your charity's activities causing injury, illness or property damage to a third party. If an unexpected situation occurs, then you could be held liable for the damage, and financially responsible for legal fees and compensation. Public liability insurance for charities could cover you in this situation.
Different types of charity shops have varying needs of protection. For example, your charity shop may sell everything from clothing and books, to electrical items such as televisions and sound systems, or you may need cover for fundraising events and activities. The policies that you include in your charity's insurance package may be influenced by a number of factors, including the size and nature of your charity, and the work it carries out. Why not speak to one of our advisers and let them know your requirements, and we'll look for a policy that best suits your needs.
If you have employees, by law you need employers liability insurance. This protects you if an employee becomes injured or seriously ill as a result of working for you.
As you have members of the public filtering in and out of your charity shop, pubic liability insurance is essential. This cover will protect you if a shopper has an accident or stock is damaged as a result of you or your employee's negligence. For charity shops, stock insurance should be a high priority. Without your stock, you wouldn't be able to run your business. This type of cover protects you if your stock is damaged or stolen and needs replacing.
Some types of insurance may be a legal requirement. Others will protect you and your bike shop in the event of a claim but are not compulsory. Not having the right insurance for your bike shop could be a false economy. For example, if you don't have public liability insurance and a customer trips over equipment or boxes on the floor you may be liable to pay costs of compensation. Therefore, it makes sense to match your insurance protection to your requirements which should provide you with peace of mind that a potential claim won't damage your business.
Each bike shop has varying needs of protection depending on a number of factors. Your bike shop may have a complex range of bicycles ranging from road and cyclocross bikes to mountain and hybrid bikes. Why not speak to one of our advisers and let them know your requirements, and we'll look for a policy that best suits your needs.
For bike shops, stock insurance should be a high priority, especially given the value of the products you are selling. Without your stock, you wouldn't be able to run your business. This type of cover protects you if your stock is damaged or stolen and needs replacing. It can also be increased around busier seasonal periods when you may offer bikes and equipment that are more expensive or exclusive.
