Hygiene passport and health status statement

Health status statement at the beginning of an employment relationship

Examination of health status at the beginning of an employment relationship refers to an interview conducted by an occupational health care provider or a physician or public health nurse at a health centre.  At this interview, good hygiene practices when working with foods are stressed to the employee:

  • not coming to work while having symptoms
  • notifying the employer about any food-borne illness
  • the importance of good hand hygiene in the work is highlighted, and training in it is provided.

The health status statement is freely worded.

A laboratory test is carried out if the employee currently has, or has had in the previous month, an illness such as salmonella whose symptoms include diarrhoea and a fever. The need for a laboratory test is based on information provided by the employee about gastrointestinal infection symptoms.

Asymptomatic employees are no longer required to have a laboratory test after travel.

The employees' health state examinations are arranged by the employer as part of occupational health care. Student health care arranges health examinations for students who work in food preparation tasks without having an employment relationship. Health examinations for trainees coming to work through Employment and Economic Development Offices or private apprenticeship companies are conducted at a municipal health centre. The health examination is free of charge for the employee as its aim is to diagnose generally hazardous infectious diseases.

Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare’s guideline on preventing salmonella infections

The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare’s guideline on actions aiming to prevent salmonella infections contain information on such as health examinations that may be required of food sector employees and measures to be taken when salmonella infections are diagnosed. High-risk work refers to tasks that involve a high risk of spreading salmonella infections. Under the Communicable Diseases Act and Decree, the employer must require the employee to produce reliable proof of not having a salmonella infection when the employee works in tasks involving a high salmonella risk. For instructions, see:

Hygiene passport

An employee who handles unpackaged perishable foods on food premises must have a hygiene passport. Perishable foods include fish and roe, crustaceans, egg products, meat and meat products, milk and cream, soft cheeses, ice creams, pastries and cakes, and chopped vegetables.

The hygiene passport must be obtained no later than three months after starting the work. This period of three months also includes any previous workplaces where a hygiene passport was required.

The Finnish Food Authority has prepared a table of tasks in which a hygiene passport and protective clothing are required. For this table, visit:

As part of the own-check plan, food business operators must keep a record of the food hygiene competence of persons working on the food premises. This record may be a list of employees who have presented their hygiene passports to the operator, or copies of their hygiene passports. The food business operator must also provide short-term employees with orientation to hygienic methods of working with foods as required by the employees' tasks.

More information on hygiene passports on the Finnish Food Authority's website

Updated 10.9.2026