The business must itself make sure that the food is safe. This is called own-checks (egenkontrol). In this lesson you will see what own-checks are, what you as an employee need to know, and how Fødevarestyrelsen's inspections and the smiley scheme work.
What are own-checks?
Own-checks are the business's tool for ensuring food safety itself. Article 5 of the Hygiene Regulation requires procedures based on HACCP. Fødevarestyrelsen says that own-checks have three parts:
- A written risk analysis of the food activities the business carries out.
- Good working procedures, for example cleaning, pest control and personal hygiene.
- Written own-checks and documentation of the critical control points.
Businesses with an ultra-low risk, for example pharmacies, pubs and wine merchants, can make do with a written risk analysis.
HACCP
The own-checks must be based on the HACCP principles. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. The seven principles are:
- Identify all the hazards in the business's food activities (risk analysis).
- Find the critical control points.
- Set critical limits.
- Monitor the critical control points.
- Lay down corrective actions in case something goes wrong.
- Verify and adjust the own-checks on an ongoing basis.
- Keep documentation and records.
Typical critical control points are heating, cooling, chilled storage and hot holding. A critical limit can be, for example, a minimum temperature.
Good working procedures
Good working procedures do not in principle require written documentation. But the business must be able to explain them orally during an inspection. This means that you as an employee may be asked: "What do you do when you wash up?" or "What do you do if the fridge is too warm?"
What should you do as an employee?
- Know the critical control points that belong to your work, and their limits.
- Measure and write down, as the business has decided.
- Act if a limit has been exceeded, and tell your manager.
- Write honestly. An honest deviation is better than a neat value that is not true.
Those who set up the own-checks must be trained in HACCP. The rest of the staff must know the critical control points, the corrective actions and any industry codes, to the extent necessary (Hygiene Guidance, section 23.1).
Industry codes are guides from trade organisations. They contain a risk analysis for a particular sector and can help the business build up its own-checks.
Documentation
The business must be able to show Fødevarestyrelsen its risk analysis, its own-check programme and its documentation. This can include delivery notes, invoices, measurements and withdrawal notices. Documentation can be kept on paper or digitally.
Inspection and the smiley scheme
Fødevarestyrelsen carries out inspections, in principle unannounced. After the inspection, the result is made public at findsmiley.dk.
For retail businesses, for example cafés, restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets, there are three smileys:
- Happy mouth: no remarks
- Straight mouth: a reprimand, an order, a prohibition or daily coercive fines
- Sad mouth: a fine notice, a police report, quarantine, or withdrawal of authorisation or registration
The elite smiley and the smiley with the little smile were abolished on 1 January 2022. The business must put up a smiley sticker at the entrance. The sticker shows the latest smiley, the inspection history and a QR code to the business's page on findsmiley.dk. The business must also link to its page on findsmiley.dk from its website and from other digital platforms where it sells food (executive order on food inspection and publication of inspection results).
A smiley is a snapshot of what the inspection saw that day.
Remember
- Own-checks are the business's own system. You are part of it.
- Critical control points must be documented. Good working procedures can be explained orally.
- Three smileys: happy, straight and sad. The result is on findsmiley.dk.