Inspection of food establishments

All food establishments must be either registered or authorized by the regional Food Control Offices. Some food establishments preparing food products e.g. slaughterhouses, dairies, butchers and restaurants must be authorized and they are not allowed to start their activities before they are authorized.

All food establishments have to perform own checks, read more about Own checks.

The inspection of establishments is risk based and need oriented.

Types of control
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration uses of different types of control when inspecting food establishments:
• Ordinary inspections
• Extra inspections
• Supplementary inspections
• Inspection before authorisation
• Campaigns
• Sampling and analyses

Standard inspection frequencies and risk groups
The frequencies for the ordinary inspections in different kinds of establishments are determined on the basis of a general risk evaluation of the sectors and need evaluation for the individual establishment.

All food sectors (e.g. slaughterhouses, butchers and stores) are placed in one of six risk groups based on seven risk factors covering both microbiological and chemical factors and a general factor depending on the activity of the sector.

Each risk groups has a standard inspection frequency. The inspection frequencies vary from 7 ordinary inspections per year in e.g. establishments producing meat products and minced meat to inspection as and when required.

Elite establishments get fewer inspection
Establishments without remarks or sanctions in the last 4 inspections reports and without remarks or sanctions the last 12 months become elite establishments.

Elite establishments get fewer inspections and can use an Elite-smiley in their marketing. This only applies to sectors with 1 or more ordinary inspections per year.

You can read more about Smiley´s and elite establishments at findsmiley.dk /en-US (linke).

Inspection if sanctions, consumer complaints or campaigns
Establishments getting remarks or sanctions will receive extra inspections (follow-up) in addition to the ordinary inspections.

Establishments getting consumer complaints often get an extra or an advanced ordinary inspection depending on the complaint.

Campaigns and sampling and analyses in laboratory projects supplement the ordinary inspections.   

Inspections are without warning
The inspections are without prior warning as the basis.

The inspections can be announced in certain cases e.g. if an establishment only is open few hours a day. In establishments with an ordinary inspection frequency of at least 3 visits per year one of the inspection visits can be announced.

Elite-establishments with 2 ordinary inspections per year can have 1 announced inspection visit per year.