Food Safety Records in Malta: Laws, FSSA Inspections, Records

Malta food safety records explained: the law, FSSA inspections, registration, handler cards, temperatures, records inspectors ask for and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Malta need food safety records? Yes. Every food business in Malta must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size of the business (EU Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). The Food Safety and Security Authority (FSSA) is Malta's food authority, and its officers can inspect your records, on paper or on a computer. Malta has no public hygiene rating or sticker. This page explains the Maltese 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 we could not confirm something, we say that too, and you should ask the FSSA.

## Contents

The law: what every Maltese 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 Malta
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

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

The main laws. The Food Safety Act (Cap. 449) and its regulations, together with EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene. The Food Safety and Security Authority Act 2025 (Act XV of 2025, Cap. 649) created the FSSA to bring food matters under one authority.
Register your premises. Nobody may use premises as a food premises for 3 or more days, in a row or not, in any period of 3 consecutive weeks, unless the premises are registered. Food premises include stalls, in open or indoor markets, and vehicles. Registration is done in writing on the official form. If the business changes owner, or changes in nature, the proprietor must send the details within 28 days (Registration of Food Premises Regulations, S.L. 449.28). Registering does not replace any other licence or permit you need.
Catering licence. A catering establishment (restaurant, snack bar, bar, nightclub or discotheque, kiosk) needs a licence from the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) before it operates. A restaurant or snack bar inside a hotel run by the hotel's own management does not need a separate one (Catering Establishments Regulations, S.L. 409.15, regulation 3). The MTA licence is renewed yearly; check the date with the MTA.
A HACCP-based food safety system. You need permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size and type of business (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). We could not confirm a Maltese record retention period.
Temperatures: what the law says (Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations, S.L. 449.55):
Food that can grow harmful germs must not be kept above 8°C (regulation 3).
Hot food must not be kept below 63°C. It is a defence if the food was on display for sale for under 2 hours and had not been displayed before (regulation 6).
Cool food as quickly as possible after the last cooking or preparation step. No time is given (regulation 8).
Reheated food must reach a core temperature of at least 70°C, or higher if the food needs it (regulation 10).
Food may spend limited time in the "danger zone" of 8°C to 63°C during preparation, transport, storage and display, if this does not make it unwholesome (regulation 7).
Extra rules for licensed catering places. The MTA standards list these (S.L. 409.15): fish and meat in cold storage at 0 to 3°C; vegetables, eggs and cooked food at 2 to 10°C; frozen food at -18°C; thawing never above 10°C; hot display counters and hot buffet food at 65°C or more.
Staff registration. Every food handler must be registered with the authority and hold a food handler card. An employer may not use a handler without a current card, and the card must be shown to an authorised officer on request (Registration of Food Handlers Regulations, S.L. 449.27).
Staff who are ill. Nobody may work with food for sale if the employer or the person knows they have typhoid, paratyphoid or another salmonella infection, dysentery, a staphylococcal infection, or any other infection likely to cause food poisoning (Cap. 449, Article 22).
Allergens. Information on the 14 EU allergens is required for food that is not prepacked (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 44). We could not find a separate Maltese rule on the exact method, such as written or spoken. For distance sales, EU rules say the information must be available before the purchase is completed and at delivery (Article 14).

## 2. Who inspects you, and how often

The FSSA. The Food Safety and Security Authority registers, licenses and inspects food businesses. Its officers are called authorised officers.
How often. The Act says inspections are carried out "regularly" and whenever there is a suspicion of non-compliance, using means proportionate to the aim (Cap. 449, Article 26). We could not confirm a fixed yearly schedule, so we do not give one.
What an officer can do. An authorised officer can enter, carry out inspections and inspect any records "in whatever form they are held". If records are kept on a computer, the officer can access and check it, and can require the records to be produced in a readable form (Cap. 449).
If something is wrong. The officer can serve a written improvement notice. It states the grounds, what is wrong and what you must do, and sets a time limit. Not complying with it is an offence. There are also emergency prohibition orders for serious risks.
Penalties in the Act. For most offences, a first conviction can bring a fine of €465.87 to €4,658.75, or up to 2 years in prison, or both. A later conviction can bring €1,164.69 to €11,646.87, or up to 4 years, or both (Cap. 449, Article 43(3)).

## 3. No public rating

No hygiene rating. Malta has no public hygiene rating, score or sticker for restaurants, and we found nothing that has to be displayed.
MTA classes are not hygiene grades. Restaurants are classified First, Second or Third Class, snack bars and bars First or Second Class, and nightclubs, discotheques and kiosks have one grade (S.L. 409.15, regulations 5 and 6). These are tourism grades based on facilities and standards.

## 4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit your business. For licensed restaurants, the MTA standards name two records directly: a register kept for temperature control, and pest control inspections with the documentation kept (S.L. 409.15). In practice, the following are what a HACCP-based system usually holds:

Fridge, freezer and display temperatures.
Cooking, cooling, reheating and hot-holding checks.
Deliveries and supplier details, for traceability.
Cleaning records.
Pest control inspection records.
Staff records: each handler's food handler card and its renewal date, and training given. MTA standards for licensed restaurants also expect induction and regular staff training.
Allergen information for every dish.
What you did when something went wrong.

How long to keep them. We could not confirm a retention period in Maltese law, so ask the FSSA.

## 5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Not registering. Using premises for 3 or more days in 3 weeks without registering is an offence under the regulations.
Expired handler cards. Category A cards last 2 years and Category B cards 5 years; a handler needs a current card.
Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
No temperature register. For licensed restaurants it is part of the MTA standards.
No action recorded. A reading above 8°C with nothing written about what was done.
No pest control documents.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Allergens only by word of mouth, with nothing to show an officer.

## 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: MTA licence and standards, a temperature register, pest control papers, hot food at 63°C or more (65°C on hot display for licensed places), and allergen information for every dish.
Takeaway: register the premises; the same temperature rules apply. Allergen information for phone and app orders must be available before the order is completed and at delivery (EU Article 14).
Café: a snack bar or kiosk needs an MTA licence; keep fridge, display and cleaning records, and allergen information for sandwiches and salads.
Bakery / cake shop: register the premises; handlers who prepare high-risk food (food eaten without further cooking that supports germ growth, such as cream-filled products) need Category B; keep display temperature checks and allergen records for every product.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer checks (-18°C for frozen food in licensed kitchens), and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: bars and nightclubs are MTA catering establishments; for any food you serve, keep the same records as a restaurant.
Community hall / venue: if food is served as a business on 3 or more days in 3 weeks, the premises must be registered; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event. We could not confirm the rule for one-off events, so ask the FSSA.
Corner shop / grocery: register the premises; fridge and freezer checks (chilled food at 8°C or colder), delivery checks, and allergen information for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: handler cards for kitchen staff, temperature and cleaning records, and careful allergen records for every child.
Caterer / food van: vehicles and stalls count as food premises, so register them; keep temperatures during transport and at the event.
Home kitchen business: the registration rule covers any premises used for a food business for 3 or more days in 3 weeks, including a home. We could not confirm any special home-kitchen scheme, so ask the FSSA.

## 7. Why digital records help in Malta

Officers can inspect computer records. The Food Safety Act lets authorised officers inspect records "in whatever form they are held", including on a computer.
Accepted in the EU. The European Commission's guidance on HACCP flexibility (notice 2022/C 355/01) supports records in the form that suits the business.
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.
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 Maltese rules, including the Temperature Control Regulations and the MTA standards. 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 8°C and 63°C limits and the 70°C reheating figure.
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. Malta has no public rating, so it shows how ready you are rather than a grade.
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. The app works in English, and staff can use it 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). The exact price is shown in your app store. Staff are unlimited, there is no contract, and there is a 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 Malta?

Yes. You need procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size of your business (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).

### Who inspects restaurants in Malta?

The Food Safety and Security Authority (FSSA) inspects food businesses. The Malta Tourism Authority licenses catering establishments and checks the licence standards.

### Do I have to register my food business?

Yes, if you use premises for a food business for 3 or more days, in a row or not, in any 3 consecutive weeks (S.L. 449.28). Stalls and vehicles count.

### How soon must I report a change of owner?

Within 28 days of the change. The same 28 days apply to a change in the nature of the business.

### Do I need a catering licence?

Restaurants, snack bars, bars, nightclubs, discotheques and kiosks need a licence from the Malta Tourism Authority (S.L. 409.15). The licence is renewed yearly.

### Is there a hygiene rating in Malta?

No. There is no public rating or sticker. MTA First, Second and Third Class for restaurants are tourism grades, not hygiene scores.

### Are inspections announced?

We could not confirm this. The Act says inspections are carried out regularly and whenever non-compliance is suspected.

### Are digital food safety records accepted?

Yes. Authorised officers can inspect records in whatever form they are held, including on a computer, and EU guidance supports records in the form that suits the business.

### How long must I keep my records?

We could not confirm a Maltese period. Ask the FSSA.

### What is the maximum fridge temperature?

Food that can grow harmful germs must not be kept above 8°C (S.L. 449.55). Licensed restaurants must keep fish and meat at 0 to 3°C (MTA standards).

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

63°C or more (S.L. 449.55). MTA standards for hot display counters and hot buffet food are 65°C or more.

### What temperature must reheated food reach?

A core temperature of at least 70°C, or higher if the food needs it.

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

Yes. Food handlers must be registered and hold a food handler card, which needs a valid good food hygiene certificate. Category A lasts 2 years and Category B 5 years.

### What is the difference between Category A and Category B?

Category B is for handlers who prepare or make high-risk food, and for retailers and wholesalers who handle open high-risk food. Category A is for non-high-risk or wrapped food, and for staff not directly involved in preparing food.

### Can staff work when they are ill?

Not if they have typhoid, a salmonella or staphylococcal infection, dysentery, or any infection likely to cause food poisoning (Cap. 449, Article 22).

### What allergen information do I need?

Information on the 14 EU allergens for food that is not prepacked (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 44). We could not confirm a Maltese rule on written or spoken delivery.

### What are the penalties?

For most offences a first conviction can bring €465.87 to €4,658.75, or up to 2 years in prison, or both (Cap. 449, Article 43).

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

Yes, if it is used for a food business for 3 or more days in any 3 weeks. Vehicles and stalls count as food premises.

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

€2.99 a month per site (€1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops); the exact price is shown in your app store. Unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

## 12. Official sources

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

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