Applying food hygiene principles

Do you work with food or drinks in the Netherlands? For example, in a restaurant, ice cream shop, bakery, food truck, or from home? You must do so safely.

You must work according to hygiene rules when you:

• prepare food or drinks
• process food or drinks
• treat food or drinks
• transport food or drinks

You must draw up a food safety plan based on the HACCP principles. You can also use an approved hygiene code. This prevents people from becoming ill from the food.

Do you want to know more on how to comply with the rules for safe food handling? Check the step-by-step guide to sell safe food and drinks to consumers (in Dutch).

Draw up a food safety plan

If you work with foodstuffs, you must draw up a food safety plan based on the HACCP principles. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. The HACCP system helps you identify potential hazards and how to prevent them. Your food safety plan should take into account the 7 basic principles of the HACCP-system. In the plan, you identify the risks involved in your entire food production process. You also assess the risks of these hazards actually occurring. You should also mention the aspects of the process that require extra monitoring to minimise these risks.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit, NVWA) evaluates your plan during inspection. it.

Using a hygiene code

You can also work with a hygiene code to comply with the hygiene regulations. A hygiene code is an approved food safety plan from your sector organisation. You can find a list of hygiene codes per sector on the NVWA website (in Dutch).

Provide information on allergens

The NVWA checks whether you inform customers about allergens in unpackaged products before purchase (in Dutch). This applies, for example, to the hospitality industry, ice cream vendors, healthcare institutions, bakeries, butchers, grocery stores, and fish stalls. You can do this by using shelf labels or menu cards. Or you can give the information verbally, in which case you must indicate this clearly.

Prevent and control pests

You must prevent the food and drink you work with from coming into contact with pests, such as mice, rats, and flies (in Dutch). You have to use the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method for this.

Do you have pests in your business? You must have the pests controlled by someone with a recognised IPM Rodent Control certificate (in Dutch).

Monitor food safety

You have to comply with the hygiene rules when working with food and drink. The NVWA monitors this (in Dutch) and checks whether you follow your food safety plan or hygiene code.

As a food manufacturer, distributor, or seller, you are also obliged to report unsafe products to the NVWA (in Dutch).

Catering at fairs and events

Do you prepare and sell food and drinks at fairs or events (in Dutch)? You must also have a food safety plan or hygiene code in place. Furthermore, mobile or temporary business premises, such as market stalls, foodtrucks, and festival tents, must meet specific requirements with regard to hygiene and how they are set up (in Dutch). You must for instance make sure your mobile location is easy to clean, is fitted with adequate provisions to clean your hands, tools, and equipment, and have a waste disposal provision. There must also be sufficient hot and cold drinking water.

Home-based catering and B&B at home

Do you have a home-based company such as a catering business or a bed & breakfast? And do you use your kitchen in a professional as well as a private capacity? You must meet the requirements for selling food and drink from home (in Dutch). You must make a clear distinction between foodstuffs for catering and for private use. You can for example use different fridges, or label your own products with ‘private use’. If you fail to do this, the NVWA will inspect all your foodstuffs as if they were for professional use. This means that then everything must meet professional hygiene standards.