Food Safety Records in Hungary: Laws, Inspections and Ratings

Hungary food safety records: the law, FELIR, inspections, the Nébih rating, the records inspectors ask for, common failures and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Hungary need food safety records? Yes. Every food business needs a food safety system based on HACCP principles, and Hungarian law says the self-check records must be kept at the premises for at least 2 years. The county and district government offices inspect restaurants, directed by the National Trade and Consumer Protection Authority (NKFH). Ordinary restaurants get no public rating, but serious breaches can be published by name on Nébih's list. This page explains the Hungarian rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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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 Nébih guidance, we say so. The app works in Hungarian, so your staff can record checks in their own language.

The law: what every Hungarian food business must do
Who inspects you, and how often
Rating and published results
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in Hungary
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

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

The main laws. EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene, the Food Chain Act (2008. évi XLVI. törvény, "Éltv."), and Decree 62/2011 (VI. 30.) VM on catering hygiene (Decree 62/2011). The self-check duty is set in Decree 28/2017 (V. 30.) FM.
Register in FELIR. Food businesses, catering included, are entered in the FELIR register kept by Nébih (the National Food Chain Safety Office), and receive a FELIR ID. It is done online through the Nébih client profile (Nébih FELIR guide). Some secondary sources mention an extra notice to the local notary (jegyző). We could not confirm this on an official page, so ask your authority.
A HACCP-based food safety system. Procedures based on HACCP principles are required (Regulation 852/2004). Nébih's catering hygiene guide ("Vendéglátás GHP") is the usual starting point for restaurants (Nébih). It is guidance, not law.
Temperatures: law and guidance. There is no legal fridge limit for restaurants. These numbers come from Nébih's catering guide unless marked as law:
Chilled prepared food: 0 to +5°C (guidance).
Raw goods in the fridge, at most: red meat 7°C, poultry 4°C, offal 3°C, minced meat 2°C. Fresh fish is kept near melting ice (guidance).
Your own freezing: -18°C or colder, and never warmer in storage (law: Decree 62/2011, annex 3).
Cooking: 72°C in the core for 2 minutes, or 75°C at every point. Decree 62/2011 defines this "safe heat treatment" and requires it for public catering and food sent to events. Nébih's guide uses it for restaurants.
Hot holding: +63°C or hotter. Without hot holding, serve within 3 hours of making. Food kept 3 hours at an uncertain temperature is thrown away (guidance).
Cooling: start within 30 minutes of cooking and reach below +10°C within the next 90 minutes. Then keep it at 0 to +5°C (guidance).
Reheating: 72°C in the core for 2 minutes, or 75°C at every point, and only once (guidance).
Chilled food on an unchilled buffet: 2 hours at most. Leftovers from service are never offered again (Nébih guide; Decree 62/2011).
Staff training. There is no hygiene certificate and no set number of hours. Each new worker must be trained within 1 month of starting, and the business documents it (Decree 68/2007).
Staff health. Everyone who makes or sells food needs a medical exam before starting, a signed health statement and a health booklet. The exam is repeated every year (Decree 33/1998 (NM)). Nobody with a food-borne illness, infected wound, skin infection or diarrhoea may work with food, and they must report it at once (Regulation 852/2004). Nébih's guide asks for a doctor's note on return (guidance).
A responsible person. A responsible food-safety person must be able to act at once during all opening hours. Micro firms need this person on site within 2 hours (Éltv. § 22).
Allergens. The 14 EU allergens must be given for food that is not prepacked, before the guest buys and free of charge (Decree 36/2014 (XII. 17.) FM, text):
Written: on a sheet, menu or screen where the food is offered, with a clear sign that points guests to it.
Oral: allowed only if a trained responsible person is always present, a visible notice says guests can ask, and a written internal procedure names that person and shows allergen training.
Distance selling: for online and phone orders, the information must be on the selling material before the purchase. Caterers selling at a distance follow Article 14(1) of Regulation 1169/2011.
The information must be in Hungarian.
Food packed on site for direct sale in the buyer's absence counts as non-prepacked food.

2. Who inspects you, and how often

County and district offices. The county (vármegyei) government offices and their district offices (járási hivatal) inspect restaurants on site. NKFH directs this food-trade control and plans the yearly programme (NKFH).
Nébih. Nébih keeps the FELIR register, the catering guide and the list of serious breaches. It also runs the quality rating for public canteens.
Other offices. Fire, public-health, labour and tax offices also check premises.
How often. We could not confirm an official fixed visit schedule, so we do not give one.
What can happen. Under the Food Chain Act the authority can suspend an activity for up to 1 year, or ban operation for up to 3 years. The food-control fine starts at HUF 15,000 (Éltv. § 59, Act text). The business pays for samples that fail. The higher fine amounts we have not read on an official page, so we do not give them.

3. Rating and published results

No rating for ordinary restaurants. There is no compulsory rating or window sticker for restaurants, takeaways or cafés.
Nébih quality rating. Nébih runs a quality-driven public catering programme. It is compulsory for public canteens and open to other catering units that ask. Levels run from "jeles" (5, 90 to 100%) down to "elégtelen" (1, under 60%). Results are published on Nébih's website (Nébih programme).
Risky-firm list. Serious breaches can be published by name on Nébih's list for 2 years.
What this means for you. There is no score to improve for most businesses, but a published breach is public. Good records show an inspector your system works every day.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The self-check plan (Decree 28/2017) sets the principle: say what you check, how, when, who does it, and keep proof. In practice that means:

Temperature records for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling and reheating.
Delivery checks and supplier details.
Cleaning records.
Pest control reports.
Training records for every new worker, within 1 month of starting.
Health records: the medical exam, health statement and booklet for each worker.
Allergen information for every dish.
Corrective actions: what you did when a reading was out of range.

How long to keep them. Keep the self-check records at the premises for at least 2 years. Micro and small firms may use paper or electronic records; larger firms must use electronic ones (Decree 28/2017, § 4).

Catering over 29 portions a day (public canteens and event catering):

Keep a recipe record with allergens. When a dish stops being made, keep its record for 90 days.
Keep a sample of at least 100 g of each dish for 72 hours at 0 to +5°C (Decree 62/2011, annex 4).

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 5°C with nothing written about what was done.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away, and records are needed for 2 years.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but nothing proves it within the first month.
Health papers out of date. A yearly medical exam that has lapsed.
Allergens only by word of mouth. Oral information is allowed only under strict conditions in the law.
Allergen info not in Hungarian.

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 written allergen information for every dish.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information on the ordering material before the order for phone and online orders.
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches and cakes. Food packed on site for direct sale counts as non-prepacked food.
Bakery: allergen information for every product, including bread. Cold cakes need fridge records.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures for desserts and cakes, and allergens 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: if you serve food, register in FELIR and keep temperature and cleaning records for each event. For events over 29 portions a day, the recipe record and sample rules apply.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for food you pack yourself on site.
School / nursery kitchen: the recipe record and 72-hour sample rules apply when you serve more than 29 portions a day. Ask your authority whether the compulsory Nébih rating for public canteens covers your kitchen.
Caterer / food van: register in FELIR, keep temperatures during transport and at the event, and follow the 29-portion recipe and sample rules for larger events.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a special rule for home kitchens, so ask your authority. Allergen information and self-check records still apply to food you sell.

7. Why digital records help in Hungary

Accepted by law. Paper and electronic records are both accepted for micro and small firms. Larger firms must keep them electronically (Decree 28/2017, § 4).
Two years is long. Digital records stay readable and in one place.
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. 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, in their own language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Hungarian rules and Nébih 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 Nébih numbers for chilled food, hot holding, cooling and reheating.
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, showing the likely result under Nébih's scheme.
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, including Hungarian.

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 forint 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, and Hungarian law asks you to keep records for 2 years. 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 Hungary?

Yes. You need a HACCP-based system (Regulation 852/2004) and self-check records kept at the premises for at least 2 years (Decree 28/2017).

Who inspects restaurants in Hungary?

The county and district government offices, directed by NKFH. Nébih keeps the FELIR register and the catering guide.

What is FELIR?

The food business register kept by Nébih. Catering businesses are entered and receive a FELIR ID.

Do I have to tell the notary as well?

Some secondary sources say so. We could not confirm it on an official page, so ask your authority.

Is there a hygiene rating in Hungary?

Not for ordinary restaurants. Nébih has a quality rating from "jeles" (5, 90 to 100%) to "elégtelen" (1, under 60%). It is compulsory for public canteens and open to others that ask.

What is the risky-firm list?

Nébih publishes serious breaches by name for 2 years.

What can the authority do after an inspection?

Under the Food Chain Act it can suspend an activity for up to 1 year or ban operation for up to 3 years. The food-control fine starts at HUF 15,000.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

Yes. Micro and small firms may use paper or electronic records; larger firms must use electronic ones (Decree 28/2017).

How long must I keep my records?

At least 2 years, at the premises.

What temperature must my fridge be?

Hungarian law sets no restaurant fridge limit. Nébih's guide is 0 to +5°C for chilled prepared food.

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

Nébih guidance: +63°C or hotter. Without hot holding, serve within 3 hours of making.

What temperature should I cook food to?

72°C in the core for 2 minutes, or 75°C at every point. The decree defines this and requires it for public catering and event food.

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

No. Each new worker must be trained within 1 month of starting, and you document it.

Do staff need a medical exam?

Yes. Everyone who makes or sells food needs a medical exam before starting and again every year, plus a health statement and booklet.

What allergen information do I need?

The 14 EU allergens for food that is not prepacked, before the guest buys, free of charge and in Hungarian. Written is the normal route; oral information has strict conditions.

Does the allergen rule apply to online orders?

Yes. For food sold at a distance, the information must be on the selling material before the purchase.

Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with a food-borne illness, infected wound, skin infection or diarrhoea. They must report it at once.

What are the 29-portion rules?

Public canteens and event catering over 29 portions a day keep a recipe record with allergens (90 days after the dish ends) and a 100 g sample of each dish for 72 hours at 0 to +5°C.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Hungary?

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

12. Official sources

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