Updated Commission guidance on food safety management systems
- Hygiene
Summary
The European Commission updated its guidance on Good Hygiene Practices (GHP)/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles in September 2022, with the aim of integrating tools and examples for operators, in particular on new requirements including food safety culture (FSC), food donations, and allergens.
The Commission published its first report on the implementation of FSC official controls in June 2026.
Guidance from the European Commission on Good Hygiene Practices/HACCP, in particular on food safety culture and allergens
Commission Notice on the implementation of food safety management systems covering Good Hygiene Practices and procedures based on the HACCP principles, including the facilitation/flexibility of the implementation in certain food businesses
European Commission (2026) Overview report on the outcome of a survey in Member States in 2025 on Food Safety Culture official controls [download].
Update
The European Commission updated its guidance on Good Hygiene Practices (GHP)/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles in September 2022, with the aim of integrating tools and examples for operators, in particular on new requirements including food safety culture (FSC), food donations, and allergens.
The Commission published its first report on the implementation of FSC official controls in June 2026.
What is changing?
The 2022 guidance (Commission Notice) provides tools or examples to all food business operators on how to implement EU hygiene requirements. It may be supplemented by guidance at sectoral and national level that is directly applicable in specific establishments.
The guidance aims to promote a common understanding of legal requirements among competent authorities, and to help food business operators implement EU requirements.
It provides:
- definitions (agreed at Codex Alimentarius level or already existing in the EU legislation)
- the relevant legislation, the link between Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), prerequisite programmes (PRP), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based procedures within a food safety management system, the use of guides to GHP, and relationships with international standards and training
- implementation of GHP, including the flexibility provided for certain food establishments by EU legislation related to their implementation (Annex I)
- implementation of HACCP-based procedures, including the flexibility provided for certain food establishments by EU legislation related to their implementation (Annex II)
- auditing of food safety management systems (Annex III).
Why?
The revised Commission Notice integrates new elements from the Codex Alimentarius; from EU legislation (including on allergens, food redistribution and donation, and FSC); and from the European Food Safety Authority.
Timeline
The new requirements on FSC and allergens are already in application via Regulation 2021/382.
The revised Commission Notice was published on 16 September 2022.
The first report on the implementation of FSC official controls was published in June 2026 (European Commission 2026, download).
What are the major implications for exporting countries?
Opportunities
The Commission Notice clarifies how to understand and implement the EU legislation (including GHP, HACCP, FSC, etc.). It covers flexibilities for small companies.
Challenges
Integrating some new requirements, such as FSC and the corresponding monitoring and control, involves ensuring that workers are aware of food safety issues, and needs to be dealt with at management level. Note that the requirements dealing with HACCP and FSC do not apply to primary production.
Background
The 2022 revision of the guidance incorporates changes to:
- the hygiene legislation (Regulations EC/852/2004 and EC/853/2004)
e.g. Regulation 2021/382 introduced allergen control and food safety culture as requirements - international standards
e.g. the revision of ISO 22000, the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), and the Code of Practice on Food Allergen Management (CXC 80-2020).
Sources
Commission Notice on the implementation of food safety management systems covering Good Hygiene Practices and procedures based on the HACCP principles, including the facilitation/flexibility of the implementation in certain food businesses
European Commission (2026) Overview report on the outcome of a survey in Member States in 2025 on Food Safety Culture official controls [download].
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall COLEAD be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of information available on this website or any link to external sites. The use of the website is at the user’s sole risk and responsibility. This information platform was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not, however, reflect the views of the European Union.
Guidance from the European Commission on Good Hygiene Practices/HACCP, in particular on food safety culture and allergens
Commission Notice on the implementation of food safety management systems covering Good Hygiene Practices and procedures based on the HACCP principles, including the facilitation/flexibility of the implementation in certain food businesses
European Commission (2026) Overview report on the outcome of a survey in Member States in 2025 on Food Safety Culture official controls [download].
What is changing and why?
The European Union (EU) regularly reviews its guidance document (Commission Notice) on the EU’s hygiene rules for producing food. The latest review in 2022 introduced several changes, including the concept of food safety culture, which was agreed at Codex Alimentarius level and introduced in Regulation 2021/382. The Commission Notice includes definitions, links to relevant legislation and reference documents, and clarifications on flexibilities for small companies.
Actions
The EU hygiene rules for producing food (Regulations EC/852/2004 and EC/853/2004) are fully applicable to food exported to the EU. The Commission Notice clarifies how to understand and implement these rules (including Good Hygiene Practices (GHP)/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedures, food safety culture (FSC), etc.).
The European Commission published its first report on the implementation of FSC official controls in June 2026.
Timeline
The new requirements on FSC and allergens are already in application via Regulation 2021/382.
The revised Commission Notice was published on 16 September 2022.
The first report on the implementation of FSC official controls was published in June 2026.
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall COLEAD be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of information available on this website or any link to external sites. The use of the website is at the user’s sole risk and responsibility. This information platform was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not, however, reflect the views of the European Union.