Food Safety Records in Czechia: Laws, SZPI Inspections and Records

Czech food safety records explained: the law, SZPI inspections, the records inspectors ask for, common failures and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Czechia need food safety records? Yes. Every food business in Czechia needs a HACCP-based food safety system, and critical points must be recorded in writing or electronically. Since 1 January 2025, the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (SZPI) inspects almost all open catering: restaurants, cafés, fast food, pubs, bars and delivery. Czechia has no public hygiene rating or sticker, but SZPI publishes a list of premises it has closed. This page explains the Czech rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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This page covers Czechia (the Czech Republic). Every fact below comes from an official source, linked in the text and at the end. Where the law sets no number and a number comes from SZPI guidance, we say so. The laws are in Czech, and the app works in Czech, so staff and guests see the words they know.

## Contents

The law: what every Czech food business must do
Who inspects you, and how often
No public rating, but a closed-premises list
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in Czechia
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

## 1. The law: what every Czech food business must do

The main laws. The Food Act (Act 110/1997), EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene, decree 121/2023 on catering, decree 137/2004 (hygiene requirements for catering, partly repealed; its record rules in § 38 still apply) and decree 417/2016 on food information (Food Act on zakonyprolidi.cz).
Tell the authority by the day you start. You must notify the supervising authority of starting, changing or ending your activity "no later than the day" it happens, on paper or electronically (Food Act, § 3(1)(i)). The Czech government portal says catering notices go to the regional hygiene station (KHS), and businesses that notified KHS before 1 January 2025 stay registered. We could not confirm who receives a new notice for open catering today, so check the SZPI guide to the notice form or ask your authority.
A HACCP-based system. Required by EU Regulation 852/2004, Article 5. Decree 137/2004, § 38 says critical points are recorded in writing or electronically. SZPI says small low-risk places such as pubs and bars may use a good-practice manual, on paper or electronic. This is guidance, not a legal duty (SZPI: catering).
Temperatures: law. Decree 121/2023 sets these numbers (decree 121/2023):
Chilled dishes: 0 to 4°C. Cold cakes and delicatessen dishes may be kept at 8°C at most.
Frozen dishes: -18°C or colder.
Hot dishes: at least 60°C until served, within the serve-by time you set in your HACCP plan. After that time the food must not be stored, reheated, cooled or frozen (decree 121/2023 and decree 137/2004, § 25).
Frying: oil at 180°C at most, chips below 175°C. Throw away oil with signs of breakdown, such as over 25 % polar compounds or a burnt smell.
Temperatures: guidance, not law. SZPI-hosted guidance gives: cooking to 75°C in the core for 5 minutes (an older handbook), cooling from 60°C to 10°C within 2 hours and then to 4°C, and for hot food sent out, 60°C at hand-over, delivered within 1 hour and 2 hours at most. The law says only that cooling must be as fast as possible. For reheating, SZPI's handbook and the Codex code give different numbers (70°C and 75°C), so we do not give one as the rule.
Staff training. There is no food hygiene certificate, no fixed course hours and no renewal for kitchen staff. Anyone in direct contact with food needs the knowledge to protect public health (Act 258/2000, § 19). The hygiene authority may test them, and a person found without the knowledge may not work until passing an oral exam.
The health card has ended. The health card (zdravotní průkaz) stopped being required on 1 July 2023. Medical checks are needed only where a decree or the authority orders them (Prague hygiene station notice).
Staff who are ill. Anyone with a disease food can carry, infected wounds, skin infections or diarrhoea must not handle food and must report it at once (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter VIII). We found no official number of days off after symptoms.
Allergens. For food that is not prepacked, the 14 EU allergens must always be given in writing; speaking alone is not enough (Food Act, § 9a; decree 417/2016, § 7). The four written ways are in the FAQ below. Guests must also see the dish name and the portion size.
Language. Mandatory food information, including allergens, must be in Czech (Food Act, § 3(1)(e)).

## 2. Who inspects you, and how often

SZPI. Since 1 January 2025, SZPI (under the Ministry of Agriculture) inspects all "open-type" catering: restaurants, cafés, fast food, pubs, bars, stalls, canteens, hotel and staff catering, and delivery (SZPI).
KHS. The 14 regional hygiene stations keep only hospital, care-home, school, university and prison catering, and children's camps (Food Act, § 16).
Unannounced. A visit can start with no notice: it begins when the inspector shows the authorisation on the spot (Control Code 255/2012, § 5).
How often. We could not confirm an official fixed visit schedule, so we do not give one. SZPI's 2025 report counts 25,840 catering inspections.
What can happen on the spot. The inspector can order faults to be fixed, ban the use of the premises (closure), have unsafe food destroyed, or suspend a worker from food areas. Reopening must be approved after you prove the repair. A failed re-check is paid by the operator (Food Act, § 16; Act 146/2002, § 5).
Fines. The Food Act sets maximum fines of CZK 1, 3, 10 or 50 million, depending on the offence group (§ 17f). A caterer who does not make the allergen information available commits an offence in the CZK 10 million group (§ 17b(6)(a)). These are maximums, not usual amounts.

## 3. No public rating, but a closed-premises list

No rating. We found no hygiene rating, star scheme or sticker for Czech restaurants, and no duty to show an inspection result at the door.
A closed-premises list. SZPI runs the website Potraviny na pranýři. Its section "Provozovny" lists premises closed by SZPI (zákaz užívání prostor), with name, address and faults, and a note when they reopen.
What this means for you. There is no score to raise. The goal is an inspection with no faults found. Good records show an inspector that your system works every day.

## 4. The records inspectors ask for

HACCP critical points. Written or electronic records (decree 137/2004, § 38).
How long to keep them. Monitoring records, limit breaches and corrective actions: 14 days from the production date of the dish. Records of system changes and verification results: 1 year (decree 137/2004, § 38).
Proof of origin. Invoices and delivery notes must be shown at once on request (Food Act, § 3(1)(r)). We found no number of years set in law.
Allergen information for every dish that is not prepacked, in writing and in Czech.
Cleaning, pest control and training. The law names no forms for these. SZPI advises a cleaning rule (guidance). Pest control by a professional is covered in Act 258/2000.

## 5. Where businesses go wrong

SZPI's 2025 report found faults in 29.6 % of catering inspections. Allergen checks are a common failure: 201 of 6,844 failed (3.1 %), for incomplete lists and codes with no explanation. Common record problems are easy to picture:

Allergen codes with no key. Numbers or letters on the menu with no explanation.
Allergens only by word of mouth. In Czechia speech alone is not enough.
Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
No action recorded. A reading outside the limit with nothing written about what was done.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Food kept past the serve-by time. After the time you set, hot food must not be stored, reheated, cooled or frozen.
No notice of starting. The notice is due by the day you start.

## 6. By type of business

The rules are the same for every food business, but the records you keep depend on what you do.

Restaurant: daily fridge and hot-holding checks, serve-by times, deliveries, cleaning, and written allergen information for every dish, with dish name and portion size.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information before the order is completed and at delivery for phone and online orders (Food Act, § 3(1)(p)).
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and written allergen information for sandwiches, cakes and salads. Cold cakes may be kept at 8°C at most.
Bakery / cake shop: written allergen records for every product. Food packed for immediate sale without the customer present counts under the same § 9a rules. Cold cakes at 8°C at most.
Dessert shop: freezer checks at -18°C or colder, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: SZPI inspects pubs and bars. Small low-risk places may use a good-practice manual. Allergen information is still needed for food you serve.
Community hall / venue: if you serve food as a business, notify the authority and keep temperature and cleaning records for each event. We could not confirm a separate rule for halls.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for food you pack yourself. We did not research shop rules in depth, so ask your authority which ones apply.
School / nursery kitchen: this stays with the regional hygiene station (KHS), not SZPI. Keep temperature, cleaning and allergen records for every child's meals.
Caterer / food van: SZPI inspects stalls and delivery. Keep temperatures during transport and at the event, and keep your records with you.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a separate home-kitchen rule. Ask your authority, and keep the same kind of records.

## 7. Why digital records help in Czechia

The law allows it. Decree 137/2004, § 38 says critical points are recorded in writing or electronically.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day, not at the next inspection.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record can ask what you did about it.
Nothing is lost. No wet, greasy or missing pages.
Ready for the inspector. Visits can be unannounced, so you can show everything at once.
Every staff member can take part. Staff can record checks on a phone or tablet, in their own language.

## 8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Czech rules and SZPI guidance. What it does:

Daily checks for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling, cleaning and deliveries, with the time, the staff member's name and photos. Saved records cannot be changed; corrections are added as new records.
Your country's rules built in, such as the legal limits in decree 121/2023 for chilled, frozen and hot dishes.
Food safety plan. About 20 minutes: answer questions, check each method, sign it, set a review date and print it. Earlier versions are kept.
Ready for inspection? Checks your last 4 weeks of records the way an inspector would and shows how many are ready.
Inspector's visits log. Write down each visit: date, type and officer.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with questions for your type of business and a "Put it right" list. It shows a likely result in the Czech inspection setting.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the 14 allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels with allergens in bold.
Staff training records.
Inspector pack. Print all your records as one pack, or share them by secure link.
40 languages. Staff can use the app in their own language, and the app works in Czech.

## 9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs about €2.99 a month per site (about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops), shown in Czech koruna in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

We keep the price low on purpose. We want as many food businesses as possible, from a single food van to a busy restaurant, to keep good records and pass inspections.

## 10. Less paper

A paper diary means printed sheets every day. One daily sheet per kitchen is 365 sheets a year, before you count delivery forms, cleaning rotas and training records. Digital records mean no record books to buy and fewer printed forms to throw away. That is less paper and less waste, and nothing to store in a back office.

## 11. FAQ

### Do I legally need food safety records in Czechia?

Yes. A HACCP-based system is required (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5), and critical points are recorded in writing or electronically (decree 137/2004, § 38).

### Who inspects restaurants in Czechia?

Since 1 January 2025, SZPI inspects open catering. The regional hygiene stations (KHS) keep hospital, care, school and prison catering.

### Do I have to tell the authority before I open?

Yes. You notify the supervising authority of starting, changing or ending your activity no later than the day it happens (Food Act, § 3(1)(i)). We could not confirm which body receives a new notice for open catering, so ask SZPI or your regional hygiene station.

### Are inspections announced?

They do not have to be. A visit begins when the inspector shows the authorisation on the spot.

### Is there a hygiene rating in Czechia?

We found none. There is no sticker or display duty. SZPI publishes a list of closed premises at potravinynapranyri.cz.

### What can an inspector do on the spot?

Order faults to be fixed, ban the use of the premises, have unsafe food destroyed, or suspend a worker. A failed re-check is paid by the operator.

### Are digital records accepted?

Yes. Decree 137/2004, § 38 says critical points are recorded in writing or electronically.

### How long must I keep my records?

Monitoring records, limit breaches and corrective actions: 14 days from the production date of the dish. System changes and verification results: 1 year.

### What temperature must a fridge be?

Chilled dishes: 0 to 4°C (decree 121/2023, § 3). Cold cakes and delicatessen dishes may be kept at 8°C at most.

### What temperature must a freezer be?

-18°C or colder for frozen dishes (decree 121/2023, § 3).

### What temperature must hot food be kept at?

At least 60°C until served, within the serve-by time in your HACCP plan. After that time it must not be stored, reheated, cooled or frozen.

### What temperature should I cook food to?

The law gives no number. SZPI-hosted guidance gives 75°C in the core for 5 minutes (an older handbook).

### Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate or health card?

No. The health card ended on 1 July 2023, and there is no set certificate for kitchen staff. They need the knowledge to protect public health, and the authority may test them.

### What allergen information do I need?

The 14 allergens in writing for food that is not prepacked, in Czech, with the dish name and portion size visible (Food Act, § 9a; decree 417/2016, § 7). Speaking alone is not enough.

### What are the four written ways to give allergen information?

Allergens in the dish description; number or letter codes explained in the menu; a screen; or the notice "Informaci o výskytu konkrétních alergenů v pokrmu žádejte u obsluhy." followed by staff giving the exact allergens.

### Does the allergen rule apply to phone and online orders?

Yes. Give the allergen information before the order is completed and again at delivery (Food Act, § 3(1)(p)).

### Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with diarrhoea, infected wounds or skin infections if there is a risk of contamination, and they must report it at once. We found no official number of days.

The regional hygiene station (KHS), not SZPI.

### How large can fines be?

The Food Act sets maximums of CZK 1, 3, 10 or 50 million by offence group (§ 17f). Not making allergen information available is in the CZK 10 million group. These are maximums, not usual amounts.

### How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Czechia?

About €2.99 a month per site (about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops), shown in Czech koruna in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

## 12. Official sources

Chef Hygiene keeps your Czech food safety records ready for every inspection:

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Get it from Microsoft

Use it in your browser