Requirements for Portable Sales Facilities
Here you will find information about selling food at festivals. The requirements listed below also apply, for example, to clubs when they rent a food truck or a chicken grill.
The food business operator or event organizer is required to conduct a comprehensive inspection and assessment and to comply with the relevant guidelines. The operator bears primary responsibility for the production and distribution of safe food and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the necessary hygiene requirements.
Facilities or sales stands where food is handled must be designed in such a way that work processes can be carried out under hygienically sound conditions and that contamination and adverse effects are prevented (separation of clean and unclean areas, ensuring pest control).
General Features
- The sales area must be enclosed by smooth, light-colored, washable walls and ceilings, except for the area facing the customers.
- Flooring must be in perfect condition, easy to clean, and, if necessary, easy to disinfect.
- Walls must also be easy to clean and, if necessary, disinfect.
- Ceilings and ceiling structures / interior roof surfaces must be designed to prevent the accumulation of dirt, condensation, mold growth, and the shedding of material particles.
- Adequate refrigeration facilities equipped with thermometers must be available for food that is to be stored refrigerated or frozen.
- Surfaces (doors, windows, equipment, work surfaces, etc.) in areas where food is handled, and in particular surfaces that come into contact with food, must be easy to clean and disinfect. They must be made of smooth, abrasion-resistant, corrosion-free, and non-toxic material. Windows and vents to the outside must be fitted with insect screens that can be easily removed for cleaning purposes.
- Appropriate facilities for cleaning and disinfecting work tools and equipment should be available. These should have hot and cold water supplies that meet drinking water standards. Drinking water hoses must comply with legal requirements.
- Separate sinks with hot and cold water supplies should be provided for washing hands and food. In addition, facilities for hygienic handwashing and hand drying must be available.
- Adequate natural and/or artificial lighting must be provided.
- Cleaning and disinfecting agents, as well as cleaning equipment, must be stored separately.
- Appropriate equipment must be available for the collection, storage, and disposal of food waste (waste container with a lid).
- Outside the snack bar, food may only be stored in rooms that meet legal requirements.
- Measures must be taken to protect food from adverse contamination (e.g., protection against spitting and coughing) in the presence of customers.
Staff
- Hygienically sound restroom facilities must be available throughout the entire sales period.
- Restrooms or their anterooms must be equipped with a handwashing sink with a running supply of hot and cold water that meets drinking water standards; in addition, facilities for hygienic handwashing and hand drying must be provided.
- Staff must be provided with a way to store their work clothes and street clothes separately.
Internal Controls
- The following aspects of internal controls must be documented in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004. The documentation must be retained for an appropriate period of time. Depending on the product manufactured, a retention period of at least 12 months is recommended.
- As part of the incoming goods inspection, the condition (e.g., freshness, quality, cleanliness, labeling of best-by date/use-by date) and temperature of the delivered goods must be checked. Any measures taken in the event of deviations from standards must be documented. For goods procured in-house, a temperature check must be performed during unloading.
- The following training sessions must be conducted as part of employee training:
- Training pursuant to Section 43 of the Infection Protection Act every 2 years
- Hygiene Training
- in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 (once a year)
- if necessary, on the handling of perishable foods in accordance with Section 4 of the Food Hygiene Regulations.
- The following temperature checks are required:
- Temperature checks should be conducted at least once a day on all freezing and refrigeration equipment.
- When heating poultry, ground meat, fish, and other perishable foods as part of the operation of a “hot kitchen,” core temperature checks must be performed. If necessary, thorough heating can also be verified visually (by cutting into the food).
- The traceability of food, ingredients, and packaging materials must be ensured at all stages of production, processing, and distribution.
Furthermore:
Please note that certain additives in food and beverages must be labeled (e.g., flavor enhancers, antioxidants, preservatives, and color additives).
The information above is based on Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on food hygiene, as currently in force. All relevant EU and national legal provisions governing food hygiene can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Regional Development.