Instructions for food business operators

A basic control charge is payable annually by sites subject to systematic supervision by the municipal food control authority. It is payable by all sites subject to control that are registered in the Tampere Food Control Unit's site information system on 1 January and that must pay the charge under law. This charge of EUR 150 applies to most sites supervised by the food control authority. Provisions on the annual basic charge for municipal food control are laid down in section 72 of the Food Act (297/2021).

The basic control charge stresses the importance of submitting notifications of termination or suspension of operations on time. The notification should primarily be submitted using ilppa.fi, the e-service of national environmental health services:
 

or by email:

Food Control Unit: [email protected]

The annual basic control charge is levied on almost all sites within the scope of systematic food control that engage in registered food or food contact material business, approved food premises activities or approved production of sprouts at an approved production site.

However, the basic charge is not payable by primary production operators, village shops or non-profit organisations, or pubs with small-scale, low-risk food service activities (snack products stored at room temperature). Additionally, the basic control charge does not apply to small registered food premises that handle reindeer and game meat.

In addition to the basic charge, fees based on the environmental health services' rates are charged for supervision events.

The Finnish Food Authority's guideline titled Should this be registered?  (section 5.2.2, only available in Finnish) notes that a private person may engage in food business without registration when all of the following conditions are met:

– the risks associated with the activities are minor (section 10.2 of the Food Act)
The Finnish Food Authority interprets this as meaning that the activities

• may include the preparation and sales of foods of non-animal origin stored at room temperature
• may include the preparation and sales of layer cakes on up to 12 days a year
• the turnover of the food business is no more than EUR 20,000/year

– the operation does not include activities referred to in Chapter 6 of the guideline, which are always subject to the registration obligation.

The basic premise is that housing must not pose a risk to food safety. If the operator lives in a block of flats or terraced house, they should ensure that the activities do not cause a nuisance to their neighbours. Before setting up a food premises and starting to operate, you should check that starting the planned activities on the premises in question is possible. You should contact the building supervision services to check valid plan regulations and the purpose of the dwelling in terms of building supervision as well as to ensure that the building has adequate ventilation. You can also contact the housing company’s property manager or the building owner for more information.

The requirements for facilities used as a private dwelling house where foods are regularly prepared for placing on the market are laid down in Chapter III of Annex II to Regulation 852/2004 on hygiene of foodstuffs.

If water from a private well is used, regular laboratory tests must be carried out to check the water quality. The water must meet the quality requirements and recommendations laid down in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree on the Quality Requirements and Control Tests for Drinking Water in Small Units (2001/401).

Before starting to operate, you should draw up an own-check plan that describes the food safety risks associated with the activities and the means of managing these risks. In addition to the ordinary food safety risks, the plan must include the means by which the operator ensures that any illnesses of family members will not pose a food hygiene hazard as well as safety relating to intolerance and allergens.

If the range includes products requiring cold storage, sufficient cold store space should be provided for them. Good hygiene is followed when preparing the products. Pets may not be allowed on premises where food is handled and stored.

The purpose of the protected designation of origin (PDO) system for foods is to protect food and agricultural products from misuse of names and forgeries. It also aims to protect consumers from being misled. For consumers, PDO ensures that the origin, raw materials and manufacturing method of the product are identifiable.

A food premises may not be used for housing or other purposes in ways that may pose a health risk. Before setting up a food premises and starting to operate, you should check that starting the planned activities on the premises in question is possible. 

To do so, you should contact the building supervision services to check valid plan regulations and the purpose of the dwelling in terms of building supervision as well as ensure that the building has sufficient ventilation for the activities carried out. You can also contact the housing company’s property manager or the building owner for more information.

If necessary, you should also contact

• The rescue department's fire inspectors (fire safety, escape routes, etc.)
• A health centre or some other health care unit to organise occupational health care
• The occupational safety and health unit of the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

1. Sufficient working and storage space

The layout, design, construction method, location and size of a food premises must be adequate, ensuring that it can be serviced, cleaned and/or disinfected appropriately and that it provides sufficient working space to carry out all activities hygienically.

Separating various food processing stages adequately must be possible. Activities that must be kept separate with particular care include the storage and handling of unwashed root vegetables, special dietary products, fish and meat as well as baking and preparation of salads. Cooked and uncooked products must always have a sufficient degree of separation as a raw product can be a source of microbes. A separate storage space must be set aside for transport crates where they are protected from pests and the weather. The cleaning of dishes and food transport crates must also be kept separate from other activities.

The food premises must have enough space for refrigeration units, dry foods, dishes, food transport crates and other supplies. If pre-treatment and cooling of foods is an essential part of the activities, a separate cooling cabinet must be provided.

2. Ventilation, temperature and lighting required by the activities

A food premises (including its sanitary facilities) must have appropriate and adequate natural or mechanical ventilation. Mechanical flow of air from a contaminated area to a clean area must be prevented. The design of ventilation systems must ensure that filters and other parts requiring cleaning or replacement are easily accessible.

In the dimensioning of ventilation, the need for ventilation in manufacturing, storage and customer facilities must always be accounted for. If the food premises is used for food preparation, localised extract ventilation must be provided above food preparation appliances, in addition to general ventilation. The need for localised extract ventilation for a dishwasher should also be determined. Exhaust air must be led away without causing odours or other nuisance. If necessary, you can contact the local building supervision services for advice.

The temperature at food premises must not be too high, as increased temperature may pose a risk to the foods handled on the premises and, for example, interfere with the operation of refrigeration units. An increase in the temperature on the food premises may also cause occupational safety and health problems. A food premises must have sufficient natural and/or artificial lighting.

3. A sufficient number of sinks for washing hands, dishes and equipment

The premises must have a sufficient number of appropriately located water supply points with running cold and hot water. The water must meet the requirements for drinking water. At the wash-hand basin, liquid soap, disposable hand towels or a towel roll and a waste bin must additionally be provided.

Sufficient water supply points must be provided on premises were food is prepared and unprotected foods are handled. In new buildings, the basic premise is that food preparation facilities have at least three water supply points:

• one for hand washing
• one for rinsing/preparing foodstuffs, and
• one for rinsing dishes.

On sites that serve very small quantities of food, a sink with two basins can be accepted as a minimum requirement, where one basin is reserved for hand washing and the other for washing utensils.

All objects, utensils and appliances that come into contact with foods must be cleaned effectively and disinfected where necessary. Washable dishes used for preparing and serving food can be cleaned efficiently in a dishwasher or other washing appliance.

4. Cleaning equipment and substances

Cleaning equipment must be cleaned, maintained and stored hygienically, their cleanliness must be ensured with sufficient frequency, and the equipment must be labelled according to their intended use and area. It may be operationally appropriate to store equipment at several locations. The contents of an appropriate cleaning cupboard depend on the activities of the food premises. The rule of thumb is that the cleaning cupboard has a water supply point and sink, sewer system, ventilation, a holder for equipment with long handles, a drying rack for cleaning cloths and sufficient shelf space. Detergents and disinfectants should not be stored in areas used for handling foods.

If no suitable equipment and room with ventilation are available for maintaining, cleaning and drying cleaning equipment and the food premises only has a cupboard without a water supply point, or if taking the cleaning equipment elsewhere for maintenance is not possible, only disposable cleaning cloths should be used, also for floor cleaning.

5. Break rooms and changing rooms for staff

Appropriate changing and break rooms must be provided for the staff as necessary. Separate storage spaces with locks must be provided for work clothes if this is required by the operation of the food premises. Foods for the employees' private consumption should only be kept in the employees’ lunch and break rooms. On small food premises, keeping employees' private foodstuffs in the storage areas used to store the foods handled on the food premises may be allowed if they are kept clearly separate, for example on a dedicated shelf or in a container placed on the shelf. The storage of the employees' foodstuffs must not put the safety of foods handled on the food premises at risk.

6. Structures, coatings, materials, furniture, machinery and utensils as well as dishes that are easy to clean and disinfect

The surface materials, equipment and utensils on a food premises must be easy to keep clean and, if necessary, tolerate washing with water and mechanical cleaning. Wood should not be used at all as a material in areas where unpackaged perishable foods are handled.

7. Floor drain connected to the sewer and equipment for hosing down floors

A food premises must have appropriate sewer systems. Their design and construction should be such that any risk of contamination can be avoided. The Ministry of the Environment Decree on Water and Sewage Installations in Buildings (318/2021) includes the following requirements:

• A water supply point must be equipped with a drain connected to the sewer system with a sewage fixture.
• If the activities involve the risk of such substances as oil ending up in the sewer, it must be connected to separation or treatment equipment.
• If the facilities, such as a food preparation kitchen, must be hosed down, they must have a floor drain.
• Contact the local building supervision services for more information.

8. Sufficient number of adequately equipped staff toilets

Food legislation contains no provisions on providing customer toilets.
A food premises must have a sufficient number of flushable toilets that are connected to an efficient sewer system. The toilet facilities must have appropriate and adequate natural or mechanical ventilation. The toilet doors must not open out directly into areas where food is handled.

A food premises where food is prepared or unpackaged perishable foods are handled must have separate toilets for staff and customers as a rule. On small food premises where perishable foods are not handled, a shared toilet for customers and staff may be provided. Customers must have direct access to the toilet from the customer facilities. If a shared toilet may pose food hygiene risks to foods, the food control authority may require that separate toilets are provided for staff and customers. When designing and building new food premises, separate toilets should be considered as a basic premise.

Own-check plan and other documents

An own-check plan must be drawn up for the activities carried out on a food premises, and this plan must always be kept on the premises in question. If unpackaged perishable foods are handled on the food premises, the staff must also have hygiene passports and health status statements. Any smoking areas for customers must be arranged in compliance with the Tobacco Act.
 

Perishable foods offered in a serving line where customers help themselves may not be served again or sold, for example as meal portions on the following day. At the end of service, leftover food from a buffet table can only be handed over free of charge as food aid under certain conditions.

Foods available in a service line can only be sold as takeaway and ResQ portions while they are being served in the buffet, provided that

1. hot food is hot. The temperature of hot food must be at least +60 °C when the portion is made up.
2. Cold food must be cold at no more than + 6°C, or alternatively the temperature of cold foods must be no more than +12°C and they have been served for no more than 4 hours.

Previous day’s food kept back in the kitchen may be sold as portions without a time limit under the following conditions:

1. The food was not available for customers to help themselves at any stage.
2. The temperature of products served cold must not exceed +6°C.
3. The temperature of hot food is at least +60°C when sold, or alternatively food prepared by heating was cooled down quickly within 4 hours to the storage temperature (at most +6°C). The food is sold chilled at +6°C.

Before making the purchasing decision, the customer must be informed about the country of origin of any meat and about allergens in the food.

Leftover food may only be handed over without payment or other consideration as food aid if:

1. the food is of good quality.
2. the food has been stored in compliance with temperature requirements.
3. hot food has been cooled down quickly within 4 hours to +6°C. Additionally, it has been placed in a freezer immediately after cooling.
4. Food intended for food aid must be labelled as follows:

• "for food aid"
• name of the food
• date of manufacture
• allergens

Gluten-free pizzas can be prepared in the same facilities as ordinary pizzas, as long as care is taken to prevent contamination. Instructions for this can be found on the website of the Finnish Coeliac Society:

Medium-rare minced-beef burgers are increasingly served at restaurants. The Finnish Food Authority recommends serving all minced meat products well done rather than medium rare. Minced meat products intended for children, such as burgers, should always be served well done. If the customer specifically wants to order their burger medium rare, the Finnish Food Authority recommends that the burger should be made from fresh and good quality meat in the same way as a steak tartare.

Raw minced beef is a high-risk food regarding the occurrence of EHEC bacteria. When meat is minced, the bacteria from the surface of the meat are mixed throughout the minced meat. Several extensive food poisoning epidemics caused by EHEC bacteria that were linked to poorly cooked burgers have occurred across the world. Ordinary minced meat, meaning meat minced industrially or in food stores, should not be used to prepare and serve raw or medium-rare products. EHEC may cause bloody diarrhoea, necrotic intestinal inflammation and life-threatening renal damage especially to children and older people.

Food service establishments must provide written information on the country of origin of the beef, pork, lamb, goat meat and poultry meat they serve. For example, this information can be provided in the menu or on a board. Read more on the Finnish Food Authority's website:
 

The Finnish Food Authority recommends heating all imported frozen berries before use. The Finnish Food Authority recommends that all frozen berries of foreign origin should be heated for at least 5 minutes at 90°C until hot through or boiled for 2 minutes before consumption.
In restaurants and cafés, the customer should check that the portion does not contain unheated frozen berries imported to Finland. The heating recommendation should be posted at the frozen berry section in shops.

Imported frozen berries have caused food poisoning outbreaks in Finland in recent years.  In 2000–2021, 49 outbreaks of food poisoning were diagnosed in Finland in which berries were suspected of having been the source of contamination.