Food hygiene

All food business operators shall ensure that all stages for which they are responsible, from primary production up to and including the offering for sale or supply of foodstuffs to the final consumer, are carried out in a hygienic way in accordance with this project.

Food business operators carrying out primary production and certain associated activities must comply with the general hygiene provisions of Annex I of the Sovereign Ordinance no. 1.940 of 06 November 2008 pertaining to hygiene for foodstuffs.

The associated activities are:

• The transport, handling and storage of primary products at the place of production, where their nature has not been substantially altered
• Transport, from the place of production to an establishment, of products of plant origin, fishery products and wild game, where their nature has not been substantially altered

In addition, food business operators carrying out activities other than primary production shall comply with the general hygiene provisions of Annex II.

This Annex sets out the hygiene requirements for:

1. Premises, including outdoor sites

Premises must be organised to accommodate the following practices:

• Separation of dirty work areas (dish washing and rubbish) from clean ones (preparation and storage)
• Facilitation of regular maintenance
• Access to the rubbish area without the need to pass through the kitchens or customer areas
• Presence of separate sanitary facilities for staff and customers
• Said sanitary facilities must not be adjacent to areas where food is cooked or stored
• Separate storage of cleaning products (in a cupboard or room)
• If applicable, proximity of changing rooms to employee workstations

Please note: Rat control measures must be carried out regularly

2. Transport conditions

3. Equipment and materials

Equipment

The establishment must be equipped with the following:

• A ventilation system that does not mix air from dirty and clean areas
• Sanitary facilities with toilet seats, flush mechanism, sink and soap
• Different sinks for hands and vegetables in the kitchen
• Hands-free sinks (with a motion detector or foot/leg pedal) wherever possible
• Forced-air or disposable paper hand dryer
• Floor syphon for draining wash water
• Sufficient lighting
• Cold room with thermometer and temperature regulation
• Changing room for employees who need specific attire for work

Materials

• A grease tray is mandatory depending on the type of food prepared
• Stainless steel or enamel utensils and materials wherever possible
• Disposable paper hand dryer wherever possible (towels are sources of bacteria)
• Rubbish must be in closed containers with a pedal-operated lid

Important: raw wood utensils and materials are prohibited

Operating rules

Observe the following practices regarding materials:

• Wash worktops and utensils at each service at the end of the day
• Do not place food products on the floor
• Do not place personal items such as a telephone on worktops
• Use tongs to serve bulk food to customers

4. Food waste

• Food waste must not be left to accumulate
• Rubbish bins must be emptied regularly, be closed with a pedal-operated lid, and regularly washed
• The rubbish area must be separate from the rest of the establishment
• Staff must not pass through the kitchens or serving area to access the rubbish area
• Staff must wear suitable equipment (safety boots, gloves) in the rubbish area

5. Drinking water supply

• Sufficient drinking water must be available
• Non-potable water must not be connected to or allowed to flow back into drinking water systems
• Ice that comes into contact with food must be made using drinking water
• Ice used to chill (whole) seafood must be made from clean water. Water vapour for cooking food must come from clean water

6. Personal hygiene of people in contact with food

Primary staff hygiene rules

Anyone working in contact with food must adhere to the following practices:

• Wear clean clothes
• Wear a head cover
• Wear gloves when preparing or serving food
• Throw away and change gloves frequently
• Hand washing is mandatory in the following cases: return to work, after using the sanitary facilities, after handling waste, after handling raw ingredients, before handling dairy products (mayonnaise, butter, cheese, fresh cream, etc.)

Important: an employee who is ill (with flu or gastroenteritis) or has a wound injury is not allowed to handle food

7. Food

Hot and cold chain

• The cold chain (conservation between 0 and 3 degrees) must never be broken
• Temperatures in fridges and cold rooms must be continuously monitored
• The hot chain must never be broken either: food must quickly reach a temperature of 63 degrees. This temperature must be kept stable during cooking
• Food must be cooled as quickly as possible to reach 3 degrees
• After cooling, food should be put in the refrigerator as soon as possible
• Raw ingredients and processed products must be kept in different refrigerators

Freezing

The following practices are prohibited:

• Re-freezing a defrosted product
• Defrosting a product at room temperature (must be defrosted in the refrigerator)
• Freezing raw ingredients, leftovers (in a restaurant business) or pre-packaged products to be stored at above-zero temperatures

8. Packaging and wrapping

• Packaging materials must be disinfected
• Raw ingredients must be kept in airtight containers

9. Heat treatment used to process certain foods

10. Training for employees in the sector

Mandatory Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) training

HACCP training in food hygiene rules is mandatory.

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. It is a method used to prevent and identify potential hazards in food hygiene practices.

It applies to every operator on the food chain.

All food business operators must comply with specific rules applicable to animal-based food products and, where appropriate, microbiological criteria for food, temperature checks and cold chain compliance, sampling and analysis.​

Food business operators apply the principles of the system of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) introduced by the Codex Alimentarius (code of international food standards drawn up by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation).

These principles prescribe a certain number of requirements to be met throughout the cycle of production, processing and distribution in order to permit, via hazard analysis, identification of the critical points which need to be kept under control in order to guarantee food safety:

• Identify any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels
• Identify the critical control points at the step or steps at which control is essential
• Establish critical limits beyond which intervention is necessary
• Establish and implement effective monitoring procedures at critical control points
• Establish corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control
• Implement own-check procedures to verify whether the measures adopted are working effectively
• Keep records to demonstrate the effective application of these measures and to facilitate official controls by the competent authority as defined by Article 29 of Act  no. 1.330 du 08 January 2007 pertaining to food safety.

Food businesses operators shall cooperate with the competent authorities and in particular ensure that all establishments under their control are registered and keep this authority informed of any changes.

In accordance with the Act  no. 1.330 du 08 January 2007 pertaining to food safety, food business operators shall set up traceability systems and procedures for ingredients and foodstuffs.

Similarly, where a food business operator identifies that a foodstuff presents a serious risk to health it shall immediately withdraw that foodstuff from the market and inform the Department of Health Affairs and users.

The application of HACCP principles by food business operators shall not replace the official controls carried out by the Department of Health Affairs.

Operators are required to collaborate with the Department of Health Affairs.

The French guides to good hygiene practices and the HACCP standards are reference documents designed by industry professionals for those working in their sector. They can be accessed online free of charge via the French Ministry of Agriculture website.