Food safety

📋 What is self-monitoring (egenkontrol) - and do I need it?

Every registered food business in the EU must keep written HACCP-based procedures. Here is what they have to cover.

This is general guidance. Food-safety rules can change — always verify the current requirements with your national food-safety authority ↗. The operator remains responsible for compliance; we accept no liability for this information.

Self-monitoring is your business's own ongoing proof that you handle food safely. Under EU Regulation 852/2004 every registered food business must put in place and maintain permanent procedures based on HACCP principles - a cafe, a food truck, a catering kitchen or a large production site all fall under the same rule. Countries use different names for it (egenkontrol in Denmark, omavalvonta in Finland, autocontrolo in Portugal), but the requirement behind them is the same. The question an inspector asks is not whether you have one, but whether what you have would survive a visit.

What it must cover

Temperature control - cold storage, freezing, heating, hot-holding and cooling
Cleaning and personal hygiene routines
Goods receipt and traceability - where products came from and where they went
A written risk analysis identifying where things can go wrong
Corrective-action logs for when a check fails

Some of this must be written down; some does not have to be. The rule of thumb: if a step matters for food safety, document it. Written records are what turn "we do it" into "we can show we do it."

In MiniAgent every check is a written record by default. Each sign-off is dated and attributed to the person who did it, so the documented history builds itself as your team works.

General guidance based on EU Regulation 852/2004, Article 5. National rules add detail - always check the current requirements for your country and business type.

This guide reflects general EU practice — always check the current rules for your own country and business type.