Food Safety Records in Gibraltar: Laws and Inspections

Gibraltar food safety records explained: the law, Environmental Agency inspections, no public rating, the records inspectors ask for, and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Gibraltar need food safety records? Yes. A food business in Gibraltar must have a food safety system based on HACCP principles, in proportion to the size of the business. The Environmental Agency, under the Chief Environmental Health Officer, inspects food premises. Gibraltar has no public hygiene rating or sticker, so what counts is whether your system works and whether you can show it. This page explains the Gibraltar rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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Gibraltar is not part of the UK food system. It has its own laws and its own authority, and it has no Food Standards Agency and no UK hygiene rating. Every fact below comes from an official source, linked in the text and at the end. Where we could not confirm something on an official page, we say so. The app works in English, which is the language used in Gibraltar's law and official pages.

## Contents

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

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

The main laws. The Food and Drugs Act 1964 and the Food Hygiene Regulations 1977 (Legal Notice 1977/036), both on the Gibraltar Laws website. Retained EU rules also apply, including Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene and Regulation 1169/2011 on food information. We could not confirm the exact Gibraltar instrument that keeps each of them in force, so ask the Environmental Agency if you need the precise reference.
Two steps before you open.
A business licence from the Office of Fair Trading, under the Fair Trading Act 2023.
Registration of your food premises with the Environmental Agency, under section 15 of the Food and Drugs Act 1964. The Agency publishes an application form for this (Application for registration of food premises, Environmental Agency). Using unregistered premises is a separate offence (Act, s. 15(2)). We could not confirm the current fee or how many days before opening to apply.
A HACCP-based food safety system. You need permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, in proportion to the size and type of the business (retained Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).
Temperatures. Gibraltar law uses Fahrenheit and has two main numbers (Food Hygiene Regulations 1977, regulation 25):
High-risk food must be kept below 50°F, which is 10°C.
Hot food must be kept at 145°F (62.7°C) or more.
If hot food falls below 145°F, it must be cooled below 10°C as quickly as is reasonably practicable, then kept below 10°C. The law gives no time.
Incoming high-risk food must be at 145°F or more, or below 50°F, without avoidable delay.
Food that is on sale, or brought in within 4 hours before opening, is exempt from these limits.
The law gives no core cooking temperature, no reheating temperature and no frozen-food number. We found none on an official page.
Staff health. Anyone with typhoid, paratyphoid, any salmonella, amoebic or bacillary dysentery, or a staphylococcal infection likely to cause food poisoning must not handle food. The business must tell the Specialist in Community Medicine (Regulations 1977, regulation 11).
Staff training. Food handlers must be supervised and instructed or trained for the work they do, and the people who run the HACCP system must be trained for it (retained Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII). Gibraltar sets no certificate, course length or renewal period that we could confirm. The Environmental Agency lists a "Training and Courses" service on its site, but we found no statement that a course is legally required.
Allergens. The 14 EU allergens must be declared for food that is not prepacked (retained Regulation 1169/2011, Articles 9 and 44). We could not confirm from an official page whether the information must be in writing or can be given by staff. A new Gibraltar allergen law has been reported as proposed, but we could not confirm that any new law is in force, so we do not treat it as law.
Records. The law asks for a system and records that fit your business. We found no Gibraltar rule that sets how long records must be kept.

## 2. Who inspects you, and how often

The Environmental Agency. It works under the Chief Environmental Health Officer, who is named in section 15 of the Food and Drugs Act 1964. The Agency says it enforces food legislation, carries out inspections and promotes best practice to protect public health (Environmental Agency: food safety and integrity).
Risk-based. The Agency says that when it gets a complaint it evaluates the level of risk and decides whether a visit is needed. All food brought into Gibraltar is also subject to inspection.
How often. We could not find a fixed time between visits on an official page, so we do not give one.
After a visit. The officer can give advice, in words or in writing.
Unfit food. Unfit food can be seized and taken before a magistrate (Act, section 10).
Barring a caterer. A court can bar a caterer from the trade for up to 2 years (Act, section 14).
Fines. On summary conviction the fine is up to £1,000 per offence. On indictment it is a fine or up to 2 years in prison (Regulations 1977, regulation 53).
Food poisoning. The Agency says food poisoning cases may need investigation by an Environmental Health Officer.

## 3. No public rating

No rating. We found no public hygiene rating, score or window sticker in Gibraltar. The Environmental Agency's food page publishes none, and nothing has to be displayed.
Product alerts are public. The Agency posts recall and withdrawal alerts for food products, for example a product recalled because allergens were not listed in English, or one with undeclared peanuts. If a supplier does not withdraw a product voluntarily, the Agency says it may take enforcement action.
What this means for you. There is no score to improve. Your protection is a system that works every day and records that prove it. If an officer visits, you can show what you did, not just say it.

## 4. The records inspectors ask for

Gibraltar law asks for a HACCP-based system and records that fit your business. We found no official list of required forms. In practice, a system like this usually includes:

Temperature records for fridges, freezers, cooking and hot holding, checked against the limits in section 1.
Delivery checks, because the law covers incoming high-risk food.
Cooling records for hot food that falls below 62.7°C.
Cleaning records, and what you did about any problem.
Pest control records.
Allergen information for every dish, covering the 14 EU allergens.
Staff training records, because staff must be supervised and trained.
Staff health records, because certain illnesses must be reported.
Your food safety plan, with a review date.
Supplier records, so you can trace what you bought.

How long to keep them. We found no keeping time in Gibraltar law. Keep your records so that you can show how the business has run, and ask the Environmental Agency if you need a firm answer.

## 5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
A plan that doesn't match the kitchen. A system on paper that staff do not follow.
No action recorded. A fridge reading above 10°C, or hot food held below 62.7°C, with nothing written about what was done.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
No review. The plan has not been looked at since it was written.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but nothing proves it.
Allergens only by word of mouth. Food that is not prepacked must still declare the 14 allergens.
Not registering. Using unregistered premises is an offence under the Act.
Not reporting staff illness. The business must report certain illnesses to the Specialist in Community Medicine.

## 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 checks, cooking and hot-holding temperatures, cooling, deliveries, cleaning, and allergen information for every dish.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, with extra care for hot food held for collection or delivery, which must stay at 62.7°C or more.
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches, salads and cakes.
Bakery / cake shop: allergen records for every product, fridge temperatures for cream cakes and fillings, and labels for goods you prepack.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer checks for desserts and ice cream, and allergen records for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for the food you serve, and allergen information for every dish.
Community hall / venue: register the premises if you serve food as a business, and keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for food you prepare or pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records, and careful allergen records for every child.
Caterer / food van: register your premises, keep temperature records during transport and at the event, and keep your records with you. A court can bar a caterer from the trade, so a record of your system matters.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a separate Gibraltar rule for home kitchens. Ask the Environmental Agency before you start, and keep the same kind of records as any food business.

## 7. Why digital records help in Gibraltar

No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day, not at the next visit.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record can ask what you did about it.
Fahrenheit and Celsius. Gibraltar's law is written in Fahrenheit, but thermometers often show Celsius. A digital record can check the reading against the legal limit for you.
Nothing is lost. No wet, greasy or missing pages.
Ready for the officer. You can show everything at once, instead of looking for folders.
Every staff member can take part. Staff can record checks on a phone or tablet.
Digital is not banned. We found no Gibraltar rule that records must be on paper. Retained EU rules ask for records that fit the business. If you are unsure, ask the Environmental Agency.

## 8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Gibraltar rules. 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, including Gibraltar's 62.7°C hot-holding line and 10°C limit. The app shows no hygiene rating for Gibraltar, because there is none.
Food safety plan ("safe methods"). 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 without a made-up rating.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the 14 allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for food prepacked for direct sale, 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.

## 9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs £2.99 a month per site (£1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops); 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 their 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 Gibraltar?

Yes. You need a food safety system based on HACCP principles, in proportion to the size of your business (retained Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).

### Who inspects restaurants in Gibraltar?

The Environmental Agency, under the Chief Environmental Health Officer (Food and Drugs Act 1964, section 15).

### How do I register a food business?

Two steps: a business licence from the Office of Fair Trading, and registration of your food premises with the Environmental Agency. The Agency publishes an application form.

### Is there a hygiene rating in Gibraltar?

We found none. There is no public rating, score or sticker, and nothing has to be displayed.

### Are inspections announced?

We could not confirm this on an official page. The Agency says it assesses risk and decides whether a visit is needed.

### How often will I be inspected?

We could not find a fixed schedule on an official page. Inspections are risk-based.

### What can an inspector do after a visit?

Give advice in words or in writing. Unfit food can be seized and taken before a magistrate, and a court can bar a caterer from the trade for up to 2 years.

### What is the fine for breaking the food hygiene rules?

Under the Food Hygiene Regulations 1977, regulation 53, up to £1,000 per offence on summary conviction. On indictment it is a fine or up to 2 years in prison.

### What temperature must my fridge be?

Gibraltar law says high-risk food must be kept below 50°F, which is 10°C (Regulations 1977, regulation 25).

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

At 145°F (62.7°C) or more. Food on sale, or brought in within 4 hours before opening, is exempt.

### What temperature should I cook food to?

We found no core cooking temperature in Gibraltar law or on an official page.

### Are digital food safety records accepted?

We found no rule that records must be on paper. Retained EU rules ask for records that fit the business. If you are unsure, ask the Environmental Agency.

### How long must I keep my records?

We found no keeping time in Gibraltar law.

### Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

We could not confirm that any certificate is required. Staff must be supervised and instructed or trained for their work.

### What allergen information do I need?

For food that is not prepacked, the 14 EU allergens must be declared (retained Regulation 1169/2011). We could not confirm whether it must be in writing.

### Is there a new allergen law in Gibraltar?

The 14-allergen rule above is the one in force that we could confirm. Ask the Environmental Agency about any changes.

### Can staff work when they are ill?

Not if they have typhoid, paratyphoid, salmonella, dysentery or a staphylococcal infection likely to cause food poisoning. The business must tell the Specialist in Community Medicine.

### Do I need to register a food van or home business?

Premises must be registered with the Environmental Agency. We could not confirm separate rules for vans or home kitchens, so ask the Agency before you start.

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

£2.99 a month per site (£1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops); unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

## 12. Official sources

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

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