First Mixed-License Cafe License Issued in Wuhan

In Wuhan, a city better known for its tech hubs than its cafes, a small but telling shift just happened in the way food businesses operate. For years, shop owners selling both pastries and coffee—common in many neighborhood bakeries—had to navigate two completely separate licensing processes. That meant double the paperwork, double the wait time, and redundant inspections. One cafe owner, Yin Hao, decided to change that experience—not by lobbying, but by becoming the first to benefit from a new policy that finally recognizes mixed-format food businesses properly.

Wuhan has issued the country’s first unified food and beverage operation license, reducing the process from two separate permits to a single application. The new license takes just four days and four pages of paperwork—down from two weeks and stacks of forms.

Why Two Licenses Used to Be Required

Traditionally in Wuhan, businesses selling packaged or loose food (like pastries) needed a food circulation permit, while those serving prepared drinks or meals (like brewed coffee) required a separate catering or food service permit. This split system mirrored older regulatory divisions between commerce and health oversight, where baked goods fell under one agency and beverages under another. For a typical cafe or bakery offering both, that meant submitting nearly identical documentation—business owner ID, lease agreements, floor plans, staff health certificates—to two different departments, often with overlapping review periods and delayed approvals.

The New Policy: A Single 'Mixed' License

In June 2024, the Wuhan Food and Drug Administration introduced a new guideline explicitly allowing mixed-format businesses to apply for one combined license. Under the updated rules, a business like Yin Hao’s—selling both baked goods and coffee—can now be registered under a single “food circulation permit,” with an added annotation for “cold and hot beverage preparation.” This eliminates the need for a separate catering permit. The scope of the license now officially includes “on-site processing and retail of loose food” as the primary activity, with “preparation and sale of cold and hot beverages” listed as a secondary permitted activity.

How the New Process Works

Under the streamlined system, shop owners submit one set of materials—including standard paperwork like the legal representative’s ID, property lease, layout plan, and employee health certificates—and receive approval within five working days. The revised permit still requires all the usual health and safety compliance steps, but now everything is handled through one channel. For businesses such as Qiange Bakery and Zhongbai Convenience Stores, which already mix snacks and drinks, this removes weeks of administrative lag and cuts redundant inspection visits. The entire application is now built around the actual services provided, rather than legacy regulatory silos.

What Changed Behind the Scenes

Last year, Wuhan consolidated food circulation and catering oversight under one agency—the Wuhan Food and Drug Administration—after a national restructuring of health and market supervision bodies. This merger allowed the city to rethink how it licenses mixed-format businesses. Instead of treating food sales and drink service as separate domains, regulators shifted focus to the specific activities a business conducts. “We’ve moved from managing spaces to managing activities,” explained Zang Qing, a senior policy officer. “This is about end-to-end food safety, with no more fragmented oversight.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the new mixed-license policy in Wuhan?

Wuhan’s new policy allows businesses selling both packaged food (like baked goods) and prepared beverages (like coffee) to apply for a single “food circulation permit” with an added note for beverage service. This replaces the old requirement for separate food circulation and catering permits.

How long does it take to get the new combined license?

The new combined license takes just four working days to process, with a simplified four-page application—compared to the previous two-week process and much thicker stacks of separate paperwork for food and beverage licenses.

Which businesses benefit from the new license?

The policy primarily benefits cafes, bakeries, and convenience stores that sell both baked goods and beverages on-site, such as Qiange Bakery and Zhongbai Convenience Stores. Any mixed-format food business offering both loose food and prepared drinks is eligible.

What types of food and drink service are included in the new license?

The new permit covers “on-site processing and retail of loose food” as the main activity, and includes “preparation and sale of cold and hot beverages” as an additional permitted activity. This allows for sales of both bakery items and freshly made drinks.

Did the licensing rules change for all of China?

No, this is the first such mixed-license policy in China, introduced by Wuhan’s Food and Drug Administration. Other cities have not yet adopted a similar combined permitting system for food and beverage businesses.

What was the old process like before the change?

Previously, businesses had to apply for two separate permits: a food circulation license for baked goods and a catering license for beverages. This involved duplicate paperwork, longer processing times (around two weeks), and coordination with two different regulatory departments.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee Blends for Cafes

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