Glossary · 21 terms · AT · DE
What must I be able to prove?
The terms an inspector asks about: what they mean, which rule applies in Austria and in Germany, what has to be on hand and where things often go wrong. Every statement with its reference and the date we checked it.
Rather practise than read: food hygiene training without an account
Hygiene and HACCP11 terms
Own checks, critical control points and what of it has to be documented.
- Cleaning and disinfection planSets out what is cleaned or disinfected, when, how and by whom; recommended, but not literally required by law.
- Corrective actionWhat to do when monitoring shows a deviation: regain control, assess the food, remove the cause.
- Critical control point (CCP)A step at which control is possible and essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
- Documentation commensurate with nature and sizeHow much a business must write down depends on its nature and size; EU law sets no fixed retention period.
- Food business operatorWhoever is responsible for ensuring that food law is met in their own business, whether for profit or not.
- Guide to good hygiene practiceHelp from the sector for applying EU hygiene law: voluntary, not law, but assessed by the Member States.
- HACCP planThe permanent procedure a business uses to identify food safety hazards, monitor them and take action when something deviates.
- Official food controlsThe authority inspects based on risk and mostly unannounced; it may enter, inspect documents, take samples and photographs.
- Own checksThe business itself checks, continuously, that it complies with food law, and puts shortcomings right.
- Pest monitoringChecking the business regularly for rodents and insects to spot an infestation early. The law itself speaks of pest control.
- VerificationChecking at intervals whether the HACCP system works: records, measuring devices, corrections, ideally by another person.
Goods and labelling5 terms
From incoming goods via the cold shelf to the label on the plate.
- Allergen informationFor non-prepacked food and in hospitality, informing about the 14 major allergens, in writing or orally with a written basis.
- Best-before and use-by datesAfter the best-before date a food is not automatically unsafe; after the use-by date it is deemed unsafe.
- Incoming goods checkChecking deliveries before they go into storage: temperature, packaging, labelling and date.
- Temperature records and the cold chainMonitoring fridges and freezers, recording readings where your own plan requires it, and never breaking the cold chain.
- TraceabilityBeing able to say on request who supplied each food and which businesses it went to; guests are excluded.
Staff and working time3 terms
Training, instruction and the record of working time.
- Food hygiene trainingEveryone who handles food is instructed or trained in hygiene to match their work.
- Instruction under § 43 IfSG (Germany)Germany only: first instruction by the public health office before starting work, then every two years by the employer.
- Working time recordsAustria requires records of all hours worked; in Germany, full recording follows from case law.
Tills and record keeping2 terms
Tills, receipts and how long each record has to be kept.
- Receipts and cash registersAustria: a cash register above a turnover limit and a receipt per cash payment. Germany: no such duty, but a TSE for electronic tills.
- Record retention periodsAustria: seven years for books and receipts. Germany: ten, eight or six years depending on the document. HACCP: an appropriate period.
