Foodstuffs

Draft Act amending the Food Act

The draft Act amending the Food Act proposes the following measures:

1. Authorisation of the Minister for Rural Affairs to establish the following Regulations:

a) on hygiene requirements for the handling of food of animal origin in a retail business on the basis of Article 1(5)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 853/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council,

b) on hygiene requirements for the building, construction design and equipment of a business for the small-scale handling of food to adapt the requirements of Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, on the basis of Article 13(3) of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 and Article 10(3) of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004.

The draft Regulations will be notified as separate documents.

2. Replacement of the national obligation to have an activity licence with the notification obligation in businesses for which no activity licence has been directly required in EU regulations on hygiene, such as handling of non-animal primary products, handling of non-animal and compound foods, handling of animal food in retail businesses and supply of another retail business in the case of small-scale activity with local scope, etc. The national obligation to have an activity licence will be retained in the case of institutional food services (pre-school child care institution, basic school, upper secondary school, health care and social welfare institutions, etc.) and for businesses which are obliged to have an activity licence in the areas and on the conditions provided in the EU regulations on hygiene.