Historial: THE REGISTRATION AND APPROVAL OF FOOD BUSINESSES

6.1 What does registration of food businesses mean in practice?

Article 6, paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires food businesses to be registered with the competent authority.

The purpose of registration is to allow the competent authorities in the Member States to know where food businesses are situated and what their activities are so as to enable official controls to be carried out whenever judged necessary by the national competent authority and in accordance with the general principles laid down in Article 31 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 which requires competent authorities in the Member States to establish procedures for feed and food business operators to follow when applying for registration.

Registration should be a simple procedure whereby the competent authority is informed about the address of the establishment and the activity carried out.

Where this information is already available from other sources e.g. registration for environmental or animal health purposes or for other administrative purposes, that information may also be used for food hygiene purposes.

Certain businesses are specialised in trading food (brokers). While they may arrange for the movement of food between suppliers or to retailers, they do not necessarily handle the food or even store it on their premises (which may effectively be an office). Provided they meet the definition of “food business” and “food business operator”, then the registration requirement applies.

6.2. The approval of food businesses

Community law requires certain food businesses that handle food of animal origin to be approved before they can place their products on the market. For more information see section 4 of the guidance document on the implementation of certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 on the hygiene of food of animal origin.

6.3. The approval of food businesses under national law

The Regulation allows Member States to require the approval of food establishments for which Community law (including Regulation (EC) No 853/2004) does not require approval.

If this procedure is applied by the Member States, Community law does not impose the use of an identification mark or any restriction on the placing on the market of food from establishments that are the subject of a national approval procedure.

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