Guidance platform

About the platform

In order to assist Member States and food business operators to better understand the food hygiene rules and how to implement them in specific sectors, a selection of representative full guides at EU and national level for different aspect are made available through the links below.

For detailed information about national guidelines in different sectors users should check the EU Register of National Guides to Good Hygiene Practice which provides an overview of all guides.

EC guidance

Guidance provided by the European Commission

Commission Notice providing guidance on food safety management systems for food retail activities, including food donations, available in all EU languages

Attention: Due to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2021/1374, the guidance on freezing at retail in Section 5.4 is outdated. For the purpose of food donation, freezing of meat is allowed at any retail establishment under the conditions laid down in that Regulation

Stakeholder guidance

Guidance provided by EU Stakeholders organisations

National Guidance

Guidance given on a national level

Guidance platform

About the platform

EC guidance

Commission Notice on the implementation of food safety management systems covering Good Hygiene Practices and procedures based on the HACCP principles, including the facilitation/flexibility of the implementation in certain food businesses

Import conditions for raw materials and treated raw materials for the production of gelatine and collagen

Guidelines on minimum recommendations for official laboratory appointed for the detection of Trichinella in meat

Commission Notice providing guidance on food safety management systems for food retail activities, including food donations

Commission notice on addressing microbiological risks in fresh fruits and vegetables at primary production through good hygiene

Guidance document on hygiene of food of animal origin

Guidance Document on Listeria monocytogenes shelf-life studies for ready-to-eat foods, under Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs

Guidance document on rules on food hygiene and official controls

Guidance document on the hygiene of all food

Guidance Document on the minimum requirements for Salmonella control programmes to be recognised equivalent to those approved for Sweden and Finland in respect of meat and eggs of Gallus gallus

Guide to the Principles of Good Practice for the microbiological classification and monitoring of bivalve Mollusc production and relaying areas with regard to Implementing Regulation 2019/627

Illustrative Guidance on import conditions for composite products

Monitoring of Toxin-producing Phytoplankton in Bivalve Mollusc Harvesting Areas Guide to Good Practice: Technical Application

Stakeholder guidance

Guidance document on sharing good practices in slaughter hygiene

Guidelines for control of Listeria in quick-frozen vegetables

Guidance document on good practice for smoked and/or salted and/or marinated fish

Guidance on cheese as raw material in the manufacture of food products

European Guide for the hygienic manufacture of Processed Cheese

ESSA hygiene guideline: Sprouts and seeds for sprouting

Good Hygiene Practices in the production of artisanal cheese and dairy products

Good hygiene practices specific to wholesale market management in the EU

Food Donation Guidelines "Every Meal Matters"

Guide to good hygienic practice for Hygiene and the application of the HACCP principles in the production of natural sausage casings

Guide to good hygiene practices for packaged water

Guide to good manufacturing practice for "liquid, concentrated, frozen and dried egg products" used as food ingredients

Guidelines for developing EU Guides to Good Practice

Guidelines for Distributors and Operators of Plumbed-in POU issued by Water Coolers Europe

National Guidance

1. Food Safety Management Systems

2. Prerequisite Programmes (Good Hygiene Practices)

3. Procedures Based on the HACCP Principles

4. Controls / Auditing

5. Training / Teaching