Grocery apartments

When you are about to set up a food apartment, contact the food control. A food company means a company whose operations are related to any of the different stages of food production, processing and distribution.

The grocery apartment must be notified in writing to the Imatra region's environmental agency no later than four weeks before the start of operations or substantial changes. The notification is made on a separate form or in a free format. The supervisory authority processes the notification and issues a certificate of processing to the food industry operator. A fee is charged for processing the notification. The prerequisite for starting operations is that the food premises meet the requirements of food legislation.

 Instructions on the food hygiene of notified food premises

The operator must also notify the supervisory authority of a change of operator, suspension of operation and termination of operation. The notification is made on a separate form.

Mobile professional food units, e.g. barbecue carts, must also be reported to the Imatra regional environmental department, if the cart is not subject to regular monitoring in the area of ​​the municipalities of Imatra, Parikkala, Rautjärvi or Ruokolahti. The Food Agency in the foreign sales instructions discusses the legislation regarding the regular and temporary handling, sale and serving of foodstuffs and its application in outdoor spaces.

Food control notification forms

When do you not have to report a food apartment? 

Low-risk food sales or serving need not be reported when the operator is a private person or the activity cannot be considered a business. This kind of activity is typically random and the quantities of food processed are small, such as e.g. food sales at school sales, a church coffee party or a sports club's sausage roast at a local match. However, the notification must be made if the activity is not low-risk (e.g. selling raw meat products, making and selling sushi, selling cold-smoked, vacuum-packed fish). If you are not sure whether the activity is low-risk, contact the Food Control Authority.