HACCP – Food Safety System in Your Operation

The obligation to implement a system based on the HACCP principles is not tied to the size of the establishment or the number of employees. It follows directly from čl. 5 ods. 1 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and applies to every food business operator that handles food in any way after primary production.

In practice this means that HACCP is needed by every establishment that produces, processes, stores, transports, sells or serves food. It therefore covers a broad range of businesses — from a small café to a manufacturing plant.

• Hospitality and mass catering — restaurants, cafés, patisseries, snack bars, canteens, fast-food stands.
• Food production — bakeries, meat processing, dairies, beverage and ready-meal production.
• Shops and retail — grocery stores, butcher's shops, delicatessens, counters with unpackaged goods.
• Warehousing and distribution — storage and transport of food, including refrigerated logistics.
• Catering and mass catering — school and company canteens, transport of ready meals.
• Food e-shops — sale and dispatch of food goods.

An important exception: primary production is exempt from the HACCP obligation. Under čl. 5 ods. 3 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, the HACCP principles apply only to the stages following primary production. Primary production itself (e.g. growing crops or rearing animals) is subject to the general hygiene requirements under Annex I to the Regulation. The domestic framework is complemented by Act No. 152/1995 Coll. on food, which in § 4 imposes obligations at all stages of the production, processing and distribution of food.

HACCP is not a standalone standard but the way in which an operator complies with several legal rules at once. At its core is the European Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on food hygiene, which in čl. 5 lays down the obligation to follow procedures based on the HACCP principles and in its Annex II sets the general hygiene requirements for the stages after primary production.

The national bridge is Act No. 152/1995 Coll. on food, which in § 4 ods. 2 requires the operator to carry out its own checks on the safety and quality of food, to keep records of them, and to instruct and train employees in food hygiene. For mass-catering establishments, Act No. 355/2007 Coll. on the protection, promotion and development of public health and the implementing Decree of the MZ SR No. 533/2007 Coll. on the details of requirements for mass-catering establishments also apply.

The very structure of the seven HACCP principles and the twelve steps of their application derives from the international recommendation Codex Alimentarius CXC 1-1969. This is a voluntary international standard with no sanctions of its own — it gains binding force only through its incorporation into Regulation 852/2004.

There is not a single supervisory authority for HACCP — it depends on what your establishment does. The division of competence is governed by § 23 of Act No. 152/1995 Coll. and in practice creates two separate lines of inspection. Knowing who will come to you matters as early as the documentation stage.

Restaurants, cafés, patisseries, snack bars, stands and canteens are inspected by the regional public health authority (RÚVZ). Production establishments, shops and warehouses that place food on the market fall under the State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS) and the regional veterinary and food administrations (RVPS).

During an inspection, inspectors typically ask for the HACCP plan, the operating and sanitation rules, completed temperature and cleaning records, proof of staff training and, for hospitality, operating rules approved by the RÚVZ. We prepare your documentation so that it meets the requirements of the relevant authority and, where needed, we accompany you in person during the inspection.

Missing, out-of-date or merely formally completed HACCP documentation is among the most common inspection findings. Sanctions vary depending on which supervisory authority detects the breach and how serious the failing is.

For mass-catering establishments the decisive provision is § 57 ods. 43 písm. a) of Act No. 355/2007 Coll., under which the RÚVZ may impose a fine of €150 to €20,000, up to double for a repeat breach. In production and in placing food on the market, sanctions are graded under § 28 of Act No. 152/1995 Coll. — from a band of €100 to €1,000 for less serious failings up to €1,000 to €500,000 for the most serious breaches, such as placing unsafe food on the market.

Although the principle is the same, HACCP for a restaurant and HACCP for a manufacturing plant differ significantly in both scope and supervision. We have summed up the difference so you know which cluster you belong to.

We have set up the cooperation to burden you as little as possible. The first contact and the assessment of your obligations are non-binding and free of charge — only then do we propose a specific scope and a tailored quotation based on the nature of your establishment and its risks.

We operate throughout Slovakia, with our seat in Martin and 24/7 availability. The price of HACCP depends on the type and size of your establishment, so we always confirm it only after a no-obligation consultation — no hidden items. You can arrange it via our contact form.

HACCP is not a one-off document but a living system. For it to genuinely protect you and stand up to an inspection, your staff must be trained and the documentation must reflect the current state of the establishment.

Training employees in food hygiene is not optional. It follows from § 4 ods. 2 of Act No. 152/1995 Coll., under which the operator is required to instruct and train employees who come into contact with food in food hygiene. We provide the training, including the proof that demonstrates it was carried out during an inspection. See also our courses and training.

The documentation must be updated at every substantial change. Under the last subparagraph of čl. 5 ods. 2 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, when a product, process or any step changes the operator must review and amend the procedure. This applies to a new menu, technology, equipment and product range alike.

• Periodic review of the documentation so that it reflects the actual operation.
• Updates when the product, technology or layout of the establishment changes.
• Refresher training for staff and additional training when new employees join.
• Preparation for inspections and updating of record forms to meet new requirements.