Notification of food-related activities

A notification must be made of professional operation in the food industry. A prerequisite for starting operations is that the food-related activities fulfil the requirements of the Food Act. For example, the food-related activities must not cause danger to human health.

A notification must be made of any indoor or outdoor space or a part thereof in which food meant for sale is

• stored
• transported
• marketed
• served
• handled.

A notification must be made

• on food premises, such as restaurants, shops or bakeries
• on the transport of foodstuffs
• mobile food premises, such as a sales car for food products
• virtual room, such as online sales of food.

No notification is required for the primary production of food, for which there is a separate notification. In contrast, food premises that process foodstuffs of animal origin before retail must apply to be approved as establishments.

Submit a notification via the ilppa notification e-service of the Finnish Food Authority.

You can submit the notification also in writing to the food control authority of the municipality in which you are located.

Include the following details in the notification:

• the name and contact details of your company and your municipality of residence if you have a mobile food premises or a virtual room
• your company’s business ID, or if you do not have one, your personal identity code
• the name and contact details of your food premises or virtual room
• the visiting address and municipality of your food premises, if it is not a mobile food premises
• description of the operation and its estimated extent
• the estimated time of starting the operation
• a description of your self-monitoring system.

The authority will notify you when it has entered your notification in its register.

Notify the relevant authority also if

• the operation changes
• the operation is suspended
• the operation is terminated
• the operator changes.

Submit the notification no later than four weeks before starting the operation or making changes to it.

The operations may be started even if the notification process is still under way.

The notification is valid for an indefinite term.