Food Safety Records in Denmark: Laws, Inspections and the Smiley

Danish food safety records explained: the law, egenkontrol, Fødevarestyrelsen inspections, the Smiley scheme, required records and digital help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Denmark need food safety records? Yes. Every food business in Denmark must have a written self-check (egenkontrol) based on HACCP principles, kept at the premises on paper or digitally. The Danish Veterinary and Food Authority (Fødevarestyrelsen) inspects restaurants, takeaways and cafés, usually without warning, and shows the result as a public Smiley. This page explains the Danish rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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This page covers Denmark. Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own rules and are not covered. 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 the authority's guidance, we say so.

The law: what every Danish food business must do
Who inspects you, and how often
Your Smiley
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses lose marks
By type of business
Why digital records help in Denmark
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

1. The law: what every Danish food business must do

The main rules. EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene, and the Danish hygiene order BEK 1331/2025, in force from 1 January 2026. The authority's hygiene guide VEJ 9700/2025 explains how to follow them. The guide is guidance, not law.
Register or get authorised first. You must have your food business authorised or registered before it starts. Changes in food activities, a new owner, a move or a closure must also be registered (Fødevarestyrelsen: autorisation og registrering). Very small activities under the "bagatelgrænse" are exempt. The authority's page gives examples: up to 30 days a year at events such as markets, and food sales that are small next to your other turnover and under 50,000 DKK a year excluding VAT. Cooking privately for family and guests needs no registration. Even then the food must be safe.
A written self-check (egenkontrol). It is based on HACCP: a written risk analysis, and a written programme for the critical points. Good working practices can be described in words. Everything must be at the premises, on paper or digital (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). The system must fit the size of the business.
Temperatures: law.
Fridge: air at 5°C or colder for cooked and cooled dishes, minced meat, meat preparations, fresh poultry, and food with cream or milk (BEK 1331/2025, § 25 and annex 3).
Other chilled limits: 10°C for mayonnaise salads with pH above 4.5 and for fish semi-preserves, and 12°C for eggs. If the label says colder, follow the label.
Fresh fish and cooked shellfish: on ice or at 2°C at most (Regulation 853/2004, which the authority applies to restaurants).
Freezer: -18°C or colder (BEK 1194/2005, § 5). A short rise of up to 3°C is allowed in local delivery.
Cooking and reheating: 75°C in the whole food needs no extra proof (§ 26). A lower temperature needs your own proof that it is safe.
Hot holding: at least 56°C everywhere in the food, with no time limit (§ 29). This is the rule since 1 January 2026. The old limit was 65°C.
Temperatures: guidance. Fish: the hygiene guide accepts 60°C in the centre for at least 1 minute. Cooling: from 56°C to 10°C within 4 hours, then into the 5°C fridge (the law only says "as fast as possible"). Chilled food out of the fridge for preparing, plating or a buffet: 3 hours at most in all.
Staff training. There is no food hygiene certificate, no set hours and no renewal. Staff must be instructed or trained in food handling and personal hygiene, and training by a colleague is often enough. Whoever builds the self-check should be trained in HACCP in proportion to the business (hygiene guide, chapter 23).
Staff who are ill. People with an illness food can carry (vomiting, diarrhoea, skin or throat infection) must not handle food or enter food areas, and must tell the manager. Guidance: come back at least 48 hours after the symptoms stop. There is no health certificate.
Allergens. You must declare the 14 EU allergens. For food that is not prepacked, the information may be written or given in words by staff (BEK 1355/2015, § 13). If it is not written on the menu or by the food, a visible sign must say that allergen information is available from staff. For online orders, the notice must also be on the website. You need no sign if staff ask every customer about allergies first. You must be able to show what each dish contains, including sauces and spice mixes. Prepacked food always needs written allergen information (Fødevarestyrelsen: allergener).
Traceability. Keep supplier, goods, date and quantity records, such as invoices or delivery notes. Guidance: keep them 5 years as a starting point.

2. Who inspects you, and how often

One national authority. Fødevarestyrelsen, part of the Ministry of Business, works through three food units: East, South and North.
Unannounced. Visits are not announced. The inspector checks your self-check, the premises and your papers.
How often. Most restaurants and cafés get sample-based control chosen by a risk model, with no fixed rhythm. Firms with problems get more visits, and good results mean fewer.
What inspectors can do. Take samples and photos and hold back food.
Sanctions. A warning, an order, a ban, an administrative fine, a police report or loss of approval. After a warning you pay for 1 follow-up visit, and after an order, ban or fine for 2.

3. Your Smiley

Denmark has a public Smiley scheme (BEK 1225/2024). The result of each inspection becomes a smiley. The worst topic in the report sets the smiley:

Glad smiley: no remarks.
Smiley with a straight mouth: a warning, order, ban or daily fines.
Sad smiley: an administrative fine, a police report, quarantine, or loss of approval or registration.
Control symbol (no smiley): registered with the authority but not inspected yet, or very low risk.

Rules for showing it:

Sign at every public entrance. It must hang at every public entrance, readable before guests come in. It shows the latest result and the two earlier ones.
Online. The last 4 results are public on findsmiley.dk. If you have a website or sell on an online platform, link to your findsmiley.dk page where it is easy to see, or show the last 4 reports. Breaches can be fined.
There is no elite smiley since 1 January 2022.

A glad smiley at every visit is the aim. Good, complete records are what let an inspector see that your self-check works.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit your business. In practice inspectors look for:

Written risk analysis and programme (the HACCP self-check), at the premises.
Temperature records for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding and cooling.
Delivery checks and supplier records for traceability.
Cleaning records and routines.
Allergen information for every dish.
Staff instruction and training records.
Staff illness routines.
Pest control: a pest contract is not required, but rats must be reported to the municipality at once.
A yearly review of the self-check. Guidance says once a year as a rule.

How long to keep them. The guidance gives no number of months for self-check records, only "a suitable period". Traceability records: 5 years as a starting point (guidance). The law allows paper or digital.

5. Where businesses lose marks

Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
A self-check that does not match the kitchen. A plan nobody follows.
No action recorded. A fridge above 5°C with nothing written about what was done.
Hot holding below 56°C. The rule changed from 65°C on 1 January 2026, so old habits and old posters can mislead.
Missing allergen information. No written list and no visible sign, or no way to show what each dish contains.
No Smiley on show. Missing sign at an entrance, or no link online.
Not registered. Starting before you are registered or authorised.
No review. The self-check has not been looked at for a year or more.

6. By type of business

The rules are the same for every food business, but the records depend on what you do. We could not confirm separate official rules for each type of business, so ask Fødevarestyrelsen if you are unsure.

Restaurant: daily temperature checks, cooking and hot holding at 56°C or more, cooling, deliveries, cleaning, and allergen information for every dish.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus the allergen notice on your website or app for online orders.
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches and salads.
Bakery: allergen records for every product, cream cake display temperatures, and written allergens on prepacked goods.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures for ice cream and desserts, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for food you serve, with allergen information for every dish.
Community hall / venue: register if you serve food as a business; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event. Occasional events up to 30 days a year may fall under the exemption; check with the authority.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergens on food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records and careful allergen records for every child.
Caterer / food van: register before you start; keep temperatures in transport and at the event.
Home kitchen business: private cooking is exempt, but selling food above the small-activity limits needs registration. Check with the authority.

7. Why digital records help in Denmark

Allowed by the law. The self-check must be at the premises on paper or digitally (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows the same day.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record asks what you did.
Nothing is lost. No wet, greasy or missing pages.
Ready for the inspector. Everything is in one place, ready on request.
Every staff member can take part. Staff record checks on a phone or tablet, in their own language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Danish rules, including BEK 1331/2025 and the hygiene guide. 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 temperatures built in, such as 5°C for the fridge, 75°C for cooking and 56°C for hot holding.
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, showing the likely result in the Smiley scheme and a "Put it right" list.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the 14 allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for prepacked food.
Staff training records.
Inspector pack. Print all your records as one pack, or share them by secure link.
40 languages. The app works in Danish and English, and many other languages, so every team member can use their own.

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 Danish kroner 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 nothing to store in a back office.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in Denmark?

Yes. You need a written self-check (egenkontrol) based on HACCP, kept at the premises on paper or digitally (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).

Who inspects restaurants in Denmark?

Fødevarestyrelsen, the Danish Veterinary and Food Authority, through its East, South and North food units.

Do I have to register before I open?

Yes. You must have your food business authorised or registered before it starts. Very small activities under the bagatelgrænse are exempt.

Are inspections announced?

No. Visits are unannounced.

How often will I be inspected?

There is no fixed rhythm. Most restaurants and cafés get sample-based control chosen by a risk model; firms with problems get more visits.

What is the Smiley scheme?

A public scheme (BEK 1225/2024) where each inspection result becomes a smiley: glad, straight mouth, or sad.

What does a glad smiley mean?

No remarks from the inspector.

What does a smiley with a straight mouth mean?

A warning, an order, a ban or daily fines.

Where must I show my Smiley?

At every public entrance, readable before guests come in. Online, link to your findsmiley.dk page on your website and sales platforms, or show the last 4 reports.

Where can customers see my results?

On findsmiley.dk, where the last 4 results are public.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

Yes. The self-check can be on paper or digital, as long as it is at the premises.

How long must I keep my records?

The guidance gives no number for self-check records. Traceability records: 5 years as a starting point.

What temperature must my fridge be?

5°C or colder for many foods, such as cooked dishes, minced meat, fresh poultry and cream food. Eggs are 12°C and mayonnaise salads 10°C.

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

At least 56°C everywhere in the food, with no time limit. The old limit was 65°C until the end of 2025.

What temperature should I cook food to?

75°C in the whole food needs no extra proof. A lower temperature needs your own proof it is safe.

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

No. There is no certificate, set hours or renewal. Staff must be instructed or trained, often by a colleague.

What allergen information do I need?

For food that is not prepacked, written or spoken. If spoken, a visible sign must say staff can give the information, and the website must say it too for online orders.

Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with vomiting, diarrhoea, or skin or throat infection. Guidance: back at least 48 hours after symptoms stop.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Denmark?

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

12. Official sources

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