The Unified Food Control Agency (EFET) announced the mandatory training and education process for food business personnel.

Mandatory staff training includes:

Small businesses or businesses that are not required to fully develop a HACCP system

Such food businesses are small businesses that produce, process, store, transport, trade food or engage in retail trade, food distribution, mass catering and confectionery or are food production or processing laboratories as well as other businesses that are not required to fully HACCP system development.

The above businesses must train or train all staff involved in food handling based on the procedure described in this Ministerial Decision following the programs drawn up by E.F.E.T.

Under the responsibility of the food business manager, all food handlers of these businesses should have training certificates for the staff who handle food and the manager of the business, issued by E.F.E.T. These certificates are valid indefinitely. The validity of the certificate must always be cross-checked after contacting the auditor with the Department of Education of the KY. of the E.F.E.T., given that the existing E.F.E.T. certificates do not have security features.

These certificates are strictly personal, they belong to the food operator and not to the company, and the food operator must keep the original in good condition, while the food business manager must keep photocopies of them in the company's training file.

From the above education or training of the staff of food enterprises, only the staff who have a qualification (baccalaureate degree, degree or diploma) of secondary vocational education, post-secondary and tertiary education, from which it can clearly be seen that the employee is sufficiently trained in hygiene and safety or other appropriate as the case may be in the food sector.

The qualifications in question are strictly personal, they belong to the food operator and not to the company, and the food operator must keep the original in good condition, while the food business manager must keep photocopies of them in the company's training file.

It is noted that in the company's training records, the copy of the degree should be accompanied by a copy of the analytical score from which it can be concluded that the food handler is sufficiently qualified in matters related to hygiene, safety, science, or food technology .

Food businesses that are required to fully develop a HACCP system.

The above businesses can either apply the programs of E.F.E.T. or to develop appropriate staff training programs, depending on the size and type of business and in accordance with the provisions of the HACCP system they apply.

As long as a company has installed and implements a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) based on the principles of HACCP in full development, it must document the training of its staff, through the presentation of the training files to the control levels of the EFET and the relevant services provided by the SDAT of the company.

The same applies to small businesses that apply the principles of HACCP in full development even though they can control the risks by implementing simpler procedures according to the rules of flexibility in the context of observing a system of self-control.

The person in charge of the food business must ensure that documents and training records are properly maintained, updated at all times, so as to demonstrate the effective implementation of the relevant procedures provided for by the business's self-control system. In particular, the training records provided for by the food safety assurance system of the business should be kept, which will be proportional to the nature and size of the food business.

The managers of food businesses that fall under the scope of Y. A. 14708/2007, have the sole responsibility of training the staff of their businesses that handle food, in matters of hygiene and food safety. The training is carried out under the care and responsibility of the person in charge of the business and is mandatory for all food handlers in the business.

Official control – Verification of compliance with the requirements of Union and National legislation regarding the training of food business personnel.

The employees of E.F.E.T. and the relevant authorities that carry out official food control outside their competences for inspection of facilities and control and evaluation of applied procedures regarding good manufacturing practices (GPM), good hygiene practices (GPM). ) and the observance of HACCP procedures, should verify the compliance of businesses with the requirements of the current legislation concerning training in matters of hygiene and food safety. Auditors should determine whether there is documented evidence of training, appropriate for each employee's job, for all food handling personnel in the establishment. Compliance is established using the control techniques described in Regulation (EC) 882/2004, namely:

Examination of records and other written material related to the assessment of compliance with the legislation on the training of persons who handle food and those responsible for compliance with the procedures of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) 852/2004. For businesses that do not implement a HACCP system in full development, the authenticity of the displayed certificates of successful attendance of training programs issued by the E.F.E.T., as well as the temporary certificates issued by the executing agencies, should be checked of the educational programs of article 3 of the Y.A. 14708/2007 before the participation of qualified food handlers in the evaluation process carried out by E.F.E.T., in collaboration with the Department of Education for the detection of possible forgeries.

Interviews with business and food managers and their staff to determine the appropriateness and adequacy of training.

In case, during the official audit, it is established that the training is insufficient, the official auditors must recommend the mandatory retraining of all or part of the company's staff, even if the company's employees have a certificate of successful attendance of the E.F. ET or a degree from which it can clearly be seen that the employee is sufficiently qualified in matters of food hygiene and safety.

In any case, all food businesses must comply with all requirements of national law regarding training programs.

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