diff --git a/backend/app/errors/__init__.py b/backend/app/errors/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35eeeb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/errors/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+from .codes import ErrorCode
+from .exceptions import AppError, BadRequestError, ConflictError, NotFoundError
+from .handlers import register_exception_handlers
+from .schemas import ErrorResponse
+
+__all__ = [
+    "ErrorCode",
+    "AppError",
+    "BadRequestError",
+    "ConflictError",
+    "NotFoundError",
+    "ErrorResponse",
+    "register_exception_handlers",
+]
diff --git a/backend/app/errors/codes.py b/backend/app/errors/codes.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbfa088
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/errors/codes.py
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+from enum import Enum
+
+
+class ErrorCode(str, Enum):
+    CATEGORY_EXISTS = "CATEGORY_EXISTS"
+    CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND = "CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND"
+    PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND = "PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND"
+    IMAGE_NOT_FOUND = "IMAGE_NOT_FOUND"
+    VALIDATION_ERROR = "VALIDATION_ERROR"
+    BAD_REQUEST = "BAD_REQUEST"
+    NOT_FOUND = "NOT_FOUND"
+    CONFLICT = "CONFLICT"
+    INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR = "INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR"
diff --git a/backend/app/errors/exceptions.py b/backend/app/errors/exceptions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e1c8228
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/errors/exceptions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+from typing import Any
+from .codes import ErrorCode
+
+
+class AppError(Exception):
+    status_code: int
+    error_code: ErrorCode
+    message: str
+    details: dict[str, Any] | None
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        *,
+        status_code: int,
+        error_code: ErrorCode,
+        message: str,
+        details: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        self.status_code = status_code
+        self.error_code = error_code
+        self.message = message
+        self.details = details
+
+
+class NotFoundError(AppError):
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        *,
+        error_code: ErrorCode,
+        message: str,
+        details: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        super().__init__(
+            status_code=404,
+            error_code=error_code,
+            message=message,
+            details=details,
+        )
+
+
+class BadRequestError(AppError):
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        *,
+        error_code: ErrorCode,
+        message: str,
+        details: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        super().__init__(
+            status_code=400,
+            error_code=error_code,
+            message=message,
+            details=details,
+        )
+
+
+class ConflictError(AppError):
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        *,
+        error_code: ErrorCode,
+        message: str,
+        details: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        super().__init__(
+            status_code=409,
+            error_code=error_code,
+            message=message,
+            details=details,
+        )
diff --git a/backend/app/errors/handlers.py b/backend/app/errors/handlers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1344b14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/errors/handlers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+from fastapi import FastAPI, Request
+from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
+from fastapi.exceptions import RequestValidationError
+from starlette.exceptions import HTTPException as StarletteHTTPException
+from .schemas import ErrorResponse
+from .codes import ErrorCode
+from .exceptions import AppError
+
+
+def register_exception_handlers(app: FastAPI) -> None:
+    @app.exception_handler(AppError)
+    async def handle_app_error(request: Request, exc: AppError) -> JSONResponse:
+        body = ErrorResponse(
+            code=exc.status_code,
+            error_code=exc.error_code,
+            message=exc.message,
+            details=exc.details,
+        )
+        return JSONResponse(
+            status_code=exc.status_code,
+            content=body.model_dump(),
+        )
+
+    @app.exception_handler(RequestValidationError)
+    async def handle_validation_error(
+        request: Request,
+        exc: RequestValidationError,
+    ) -> JSONResponse:
+        errors = []
+        for error in exc.errors():
+            error_dict = dict(error)
+            if "ctx" in error_dict:
+                ctx = error_dict["ctx"]
+                if isinstance(ctx, dict):
+                    for key, value in ctx.items():
+                        if isinstance(value, Exception):
+                            ctx[key] = str(value)
+                error_dict["ctx"] = ctx
+            errors.append(error_dict)
+
+        details = {"errors": errors}
+        body = ErrorResponse(
+            code=422,
+            error_code=ErrorCode.VALIDATION_ERROR,
+            message="Validation error",
+            details=details,
+        )
+        return JSONResponse(status_code=422, content=body.model_dump())
+
+    @app.exception_handler(StarletteHTTPException)
+    async def handle_http_exception(
+        request: Request,
+        exc: StarletteHTTPException,
+    ) -> JSONResponse:
+        if exc.status_code == 404:
+            code = ErrorCode.NOT_FOUND
+        elif exc.status_code == 409:
+            code = ErrorCode.CONFLICT
+        elif 400 <= exc.status_code < 500:
+            code = ErrorCode.BAD_REQUEST
+        else:
+            code = ErrorCode.INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR
+
+        body = ErrorResponse(
+            code=exc.status_code,
+            error_code=code,
+            message=str(exc.detail) if exc.detail else "Error",
+        )
+        return JSONResponse(status_code=exc.status_code, content=body.model_dump())
+
+    @app.exception_handler(Exception)
+    async def handle_unexpected(request: Request, exc: Exception) -> JSONResponse:
+        body = ErrorResponse(
+            code=500,
+            error_code=ErrorCode.INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
+            message="Internal server error",
+        )
+        return JSONResponse(status_code=500, content=body.model_dump())
diff --git a/backend/app/errors/schemas.py b/backend/app/errors/schemas.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a373e4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/errors/schemas.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+from typing import Any
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+from .codes import ErrorCode
+
+
+class ErrorResponse(BaseModel):
+    code: int
+    error_code: ErrorCode
+    message: str
+    details: dict[str, Any] | None = None
diff --git a/backend/app/main.py b/backend/app/main.py
index 0a32167..e1b446d 100644
--- a/backend/app/main.py
+++ b/backend/app/main.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from fastapi import FastAPI, Depends, HTTPException, Query
+from fastapi import FastAPI, Depends, Query
 from fastapi.responses import StreamingResponse
 from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@
 import os
 
 from .db import get_session, create_db_and_tables
+from .errors import (
+    BadRequestError,
+    ConflictError,
+    ErrorCode,
+    NotFoundError,
+    register_exception_handlers,
+)
 
 from .schemas import (
     ProductRead,
@@ -66,6 +73,8 @@ async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
     lifespan=lifespan,
 )
 
+register_exception_handlers(app)
+
 # CORS middleware for frontend integration
 origins = os.getenv(
     "CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS", "http://localhost:3001,http://127.0.0.1:3001"
@@ -91,9 +100,9 @@ def create_category(category: CategoryCreate, session: Session = Depends(get_ses
     # Check if category already exists
     existing_category = crud.get_category_by_name(session, category.name)
     if existing_category:
-        raise HTTPException(
-            status_code=400,
-            detail=f"Category with name '{category.name}' already exists",
+        raise ConflictError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.CATEGORY_EXISTS,
+            message=f"Category with name '{category.name}' already exists",
         )
 
     return crud.create_category(session, category)
@@ -116,7 +125,10 @@ def get_categories(session: Session = Depends(get_session)):
 def get_category(category_id: int, session: Session = Depends(get_session)):
     category = crud.get_category(session, category_id)
     if not category:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Category not found")
+        raise NotFoundError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="Category not found",
+        )
 
     # Convert to response format with image URLs
     products_with_images = []
@@ -166,7 +178,10 @@ def create_product(product: ProductCreate, session: Session = Depends(get_sessio
     # Verify category exists
     category = crud.get_category(session, product.category_id)
     if not category:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Category not found")
+        raise BadRequestError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="Category not found",
+        )
 
     created_product = crud.create_product(session, product)
 
@@ -361,7 +376,10 @@ def get_product(product_id: int, session: Session = Depends(get_session)):
     )
     product = session.exec(stmt).first()
     if not product:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Product not found")
+        raise NotFoundError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="Product not found",
+        )
 
     # Filter active options and sort them
     active_options = [opt for opt in product.delivery_options if opt.is_active]
@@ -420,11 +438,17 @@ def update_product(
     if product_update.category_id:
         category = crud.get_category(session, product_update.category_id)
         if not category:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Category not found")
+            raise BadRequestError(
+                error_code=ErrorCode.CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND,
+                message="Category not found",
+            )
 
     updated_product = crud.update_product(session, product_id, product_update)
     if not updated_product:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Product not found")
+        raise NotFoundError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="Product not found",
+        )
 
     # Convert to response format with image URL
     product_dict = {
@@ -447,7 +471,10 @@ def update_product(
 @app.delete("/products/{product_id}")
 def delete_product(product_id: int, session: Session = Depends(get_session)):
     if not crud.delete_product(session, product_id):
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Product not found")
+        raise NotFoundError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="Product not found",
+        )
 
     return {"message": "Product deleted successfully"}
 
@@ -456,10 +483,16 @@ def delete_product(product_id: int, session: Session = Depends(get_session)):
 def get_product_image(product_id: int, session: Session = Depends(get_session)):
     product = crud.get_product(session, product_id)
     if not product:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Product not found")
+        raise NotFoundError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="Product not found",
+        )
 
     if not product.image_data:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="No image found for this product")
+        raise NotFoundError(
+            error_code=ErrorCode.IMAGE_NOT_FOUND,
+            message="No image found for this product",
+        )
 
     # Return image as streaming response
     return StreamingResponse(
diff --git a/backend/tests/api/test_categories.py b/backend/tests/api/test_categories.py
index f188b54..24e280e 100644
--- a/backend/tests/api/test_categories.py
+++ b/backend/tests/api/test_categories.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ def test_create_duplicate_category(client: TestClient):
 
     response = client.post("/categories", json=category_data)
     # This should fail due to unique constraint
-    assert response.status_code in [400, 422]
+    assert response.status_code == 409
 
 
 def test_category_with_products(client: TestClient):
@@ -100,8 +100,8 @@ def test_create_category_duplicate_name(client: TestClient):
 
     # Duplicate should fail
     response2 = client.post("/categories", json=category_data)
-    assert response2.status_code == 400
-    assert "already exists" in response2.json()["detail"].lower()
+    assert response2.status_code == 409
+    assert "already exists" in response2.json()["message"].lower()
 
 
 def test_create_category_empty_name(client: TestClient):
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_error_handling.py b/backend/tests/test_error_handling.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a93563
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_error_handling.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+from tests.factories import create_test_category, create_test_product
+
+
+def test_category_not_found_returns_structured_error(client):
+    resp = client.get("/categories/999999")
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert body["code"] == 404
+    assert body["error_code"] == "CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND"
+    assert body["message"] == "Category not found"
+
+
+def test_category_conflict_returns_structured_error(client, session):
+    create_test_category(session, name="Books")
+
+    resp = client.post("/categories", json={"name": "Books"})
+    assert resp.status_code == 409
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert body["code"] == 409
+    assert body["error_code"] == "CATEGORY_EXISTS"
+    assert "already exists" in body["message"]
+
+
+def test_product_not_found_returns_structured_error(client):
+    resp = client.get("/products/999999")
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert body["code"] == 404
+    assert body["error_code"] == "PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND"
+    assert body["message"] == "Product not found"
+
+
+def test_validation_error_returns_structured_422(client):
+    resp = client.post("/products", json={"title": "Invalid"})
+    assert resp.status_code == 422
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert body["code"] == 422
+    assert body["error_code"] == "VALIDATION_ERROR"
+    assert isinstance(body.get("details", {}).get("errors"), list)
+
+
+def test_image_not_found_returns_structured_error(client, session):
+    product = create_test_product(session, title="No Image Product", with_image=False)
+
+    resp = client.get(f"/products/{product.id}/image")
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert body["code"] == 404
+    assert body["error_code"] == "IMAGE_NOT_FOUND"
+
+
+def test_category_not_found_during_product_create_returns_bad_request(client):
+    resp = client.post(
+        "/products",
+        json={
+            "title": "Test Product",
+            "description": "Test Description",
+            "price": 29.99,
+            "category_id": 999999,
+        },
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 400
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert body["code"] == 400
+    assert body["error_code"] == "CATEGORY_NOT_FOUND"
+    assert body["message"] == "Category not found"