The EU Rules regarding Food Hygiene cover all stages of the production, processing, distribution and placing on the market of food intended for human consumption.

"Placing on the market" means the holding of food for the purpose of sale, including offering for sale, or any other form of transfer, whether free of charge or not, and the sale, distribution and other forms of transfer themselves.

The rules for food business operators adopted in 2004 and that came into force in 2006 are provided for in the following key acts:

• Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.
• Regulation (EC) 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.

The hygiene rules take particular account of the following principles:

• Primary responsibility for food safety borne by the food business operator
• Food safety ensured throughout the food chain, starting with primary production
• General implementation of procedures based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points principles (HACCP)
• Application of basic common hygiene requirements, possibly further specified for certain categories of food
• Registration or approval for certain food establishments
• Development of guides to good practice for hygiene or for the application of HACCP principles as a valuable instrument to aid food business operators at all levels of the food chain to comply with the new rules
• Flexibility provided for food produced in remote areas (high mountains, remote islands) and for traditional production and methods

Further information:

• Approved EU food establishments
• Guidance platform
• Microbiological criteria
• Non-EU countries authorised establishments

Related regulations:

• Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.

• Regulation (EC) 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.

• Regulation (EU) 2019/624 concerning specific rules for the performance of official controls on the production of meat and for production and relaying areas of live bivalve molluscs.

• Regulation (EU) 2019/625 with regard to requirements for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain animals and goods intended for human consumption.

• Regulation (EU) 2019/627 laying down uniform practical arrangements for the performance of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption.

• Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 laying down rules for the application of Regulations (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2017/625 as regards model animal health certificates, model official certificates and model animal health/official certificates, for the entry into the Union and movements within the Union of consignments of certain categories of animals and goods, official certification regarding such certificates.

• Regulation (EU) 2021/405 laying down the lists of third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of certain animals and goods intended for human consumption.

• Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs.

• Regulation (EU) 2015/1375 laying down specific rules on official controls for Trichinella in meat.