GMP Requirements of EU Food Hygiene Regulations
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GMP Requirements of EU Food Hygiene Regulations
The European Community Council and Commission have issued a series of hygiene regulations and requirements for the management of food production, importation, and marketing. These can be categorized into the following six categories in terms of content:
1. Regulations for disease control
2. Regulations for controlling agricultural and veterinary residues
3. Hygiene regulations for food production and marketing
4. Regulations for inspection control
5. Control regulations for food access from third countries
6. Regulations for health certificates from exporting country authorities
91/493/EEC Directive of the European Community Council
Hygiene conditions for the production and marketing of seafood
Section III: Key points of general conditions for land-based enterprises
1. General conditions for factories and equipment
Design and layout to prevent product contamination, separation of contaminated areas from clean areas.
Adequate area.
Floors that are easy to clean and disinfect, with proper drainage facilities.
Smooth walls that are easy to clean, durable, and waterproof.
Ceiling materials that are easy to clean.
Doors and windows made of materials that are easy to clean.
Good ventilation.
Sufficient lighting.
An adequate number of non-manual faucets, hand disinfection equipment, and disposable towels.
Facilities for cleaning the premises, equipment, and tools.
Cold storage floors, walls, ceilings, and lighting comply with the above regulations.
Pest control facilities.
Water supply with sufficient pressure and volume, meeting the water quality requirements of 80/778/EEC.
Wastewater treatment system.
Adequate changing rooms equipped with washbasins and flush toilets, hand washing supplies, and disposable towels. Floor and wall requirements as mentioned above. Toilet doors must not open directly into processing areas.
Specialized inspection equipment provided.
2. Hygiene conditions
The workshop must be kept clean, well-maintained, and free from contamination of products.
Systematic removal of pests within the factory.
Detergents, disinfectants, and similar substances must be approved by the competent authority before use and stored in locked cabinets to avoid contamination of production.
Processing equipment and tools dedicated to work areas.
3. Staff hygiene conditions
Staff wear appropriate, clean uniforms and caps.
Processing personnel wash their hands before each resumption of work.
Smoking, spitting, eating, and drinking are prohibited in processing and storage areas.
Employees must provide a health certificate proving they are fit for food processing.
4. Processing hygiene requirements
Specifies the conditions that fresh products, frozen products, fresh-frozen products, processed products, canned goods, smoked products, cooked crustaceans, and mollusks must meet.
Packaging must be carried out under good hygiene conditions. Packaging materials comply with all hygiene regulations and must not be reused. Packaging materials are stored in warehouses outside the processing area and protected against dust and contamination.
Product markings are clear.
Storage and transportation comply with specified temperatures. Frozen products should be at -18℃ or lower, with short-term temperature increases not exceeding 3℃.
Products cannot be co-stored or transported with other products that may contaminate them or affect their hygiene.
Transport vehicles can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
5. Sanitary monitoring of production conditions
The competent authority must make arrangements for sanitary monitoring to ensure compliance with this directive.
6. Hygiene standards for seafood
Sensory inspections confirm suitability for human consumption.
Parasite inspections indicate that products with obvious parasitic infections cannot be marketed.
Chemical inspections
TVB-N and TMA-N
Histamine
Heavy metals and organic chlorinated compounds
Microbiological analysis