Food Safety Records in Mexico: Laws, Inspections and Records

Mexico food safety records explained: NOM-251, the aviso de funcionamiento, COFEPRIS and state inspections, training, temperatures and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Mexico need food safety records? Mexico has one federal hygiene rule for all food businesses, NOM-251-SSA1-2009, issued under the Ley General de Salud. A restaurant does not need a health licence, but it must file an "aviso de funcionamiento" (a notice of operation) at least 30 days before opening. The rule asks for hygiene training at least once a year, with proof you can show, and sets real temperatures for cooking, hot food and cold food. Mexico has no public hygiene grade. This page explains the 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 says nothing, we say so and do not invent a rule. State and city rules can add to the federal ones, so ask your state health agency about local details.

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

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

The main laws. The Ley General de Salud (the federal health law) and the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-251-SSA1-2009, "Prácticas de higiene para el proceso de alimentos, bebidas o suplementos alimenticios" (NOM-251, Diario Oficial de la Federación). Chapter 5 applies to every food business. Chapter 7 adds rules for food and drink service, such as restaurants.
No health licence, but an aviso. Businesses that do not need a sanitary authorisation must file an aviso de funcionamiento in writing, to the federal Health Ministry or the state government, at least 30 days before they start (Ley General de Salud, art. 200 Bis). The Health Ministry decides by published agreement which businesses are in this group. We did not confirm the full list here, so ask COFEPRIS or your state agency whether your type of business is covered (COFEPRIS).
HACCP is optional, unless a product rule says otherwise. NOM-251, point 5.5.1, says establishments may set up a HACCP system, and Appendix A can be used as a guide. It becomes obligatory only when the product's own NOM requires it.
Temperatures in the rule (NOM-251).
Fridges: at most 7°C (5.5.2). Freezers must keep the product frozen (5.5.3); no number is set.
Cold prepared food on display or ready to serve: 7°C or less. Hot food: above 60°C (7.3.3).
Minimum cooking temperature inside the food (7.3.1): 63°C for fish, beef joints and eggs cracked to order for immediate eating; 68°C for pork joints, minced meats, injected meats and eggs cracked for a buffet; 74°C for sausages, stuffings and poultry.
Reheating: at least 74°C (7.3.2).
Delivery: fresh fish at 4°C or less, frozen fish at -9°C or less; live products 7°C (7.4.2).
Thawing: in the fridge, by cooking, or in a microwave; never at room temperature. Under running cold water is allowed. Thawed food must not be frozen again (7.4.1).
Leftovers of the day may be reused only once, in food that will be cooked (7.4.10).
Staff training. Everyone who works in production or preparation must be trained in good hygiene practices at least once a year (5.14.1). The topics include personal hygiene and handwashing, how pathogens grow, how food is processed, and knowing the NOM itself (5.14.2). The rule's HACCP appendix lists training records: date, participants, trainer and proof of training. Keep a certificate (constancia) for each person.
Pests. Every establishment needs a pest control plan (5.10.7). If a pest control company is used, it must hold a licence (5.10.8).
Cleaning. In food service, cleaning of equipment and utensils is done at the end of the day or at shift changes, and surfaces in contact with food are disinfected (7.5.1). Dishes are washed in set steps, and disinfection can be hot water at 75 to 82°C for at least half a minute (7.5.6).
Allergens. For packaged food, the label rules are in NOM-051 (modified in 2020), which lists the allergens that must be declared. We found no rule that makes a restaurant show allergens on its dishes. Telling customers what is in each dish is good practice, not a legal duty we could confirm.
Traceability. We found no general rule for restaurants. The record rules we read are in the chapter for food factories (chapter 6), not for restaurants.

2. Who inspects you, and how often

Federal and state health authorities. COFEPRIS is the federal health protection agency. State health agencies (often called COESPRIS or the health secretariat) do the sanitary checks under agreements with COFEPRIS. In some states federal staff visit too.
Powers. The health authority can give a warning, a fine, a temporary or permanent closure (partial or total), or arrest of up to 36 hours for a person who stops the inspectors (Ley General de Salud, art. 417 and art. 427).
How often. We could not confirm an official visit schedule, so we do not give one.
Records on request. NOM-251 defines a record as information that is electronic or not (point 3.42). It does not give a restaurant-specific list of record books. The training constancia and pest control certificates are the proofs the rule points to.

3. No grade, but real penalties

No grade. Mexico has no public hygiene rating or window sticker from the health authorities.
Distintivo H. This is a voluntary hygiene badge for tourism-sector food businesses, run by the tourism ministry (SECTUR) with the Health Ministry. It is not an inspection result, and you do not need it to trade. We could not re-read the official page today, so ask your state tourism office for the current conditions.
Fines. The law sets fines in multiples of the Unidad de Medida y Actualización (UMA). Breaking the aviso de funcionamiento rule (art. 200 Bis) can be fined up to 2,000 times the UMA (art. 419). Other infractions the law does not name can be fined up to 16,000 times the daily minimum wage (art. 422). A repeat of the same breach within one year doubles the fine (art. 423). The authority looks at the harm, how serious it is, your means and any repeat (art. 418). The UMA changes every year, so check the current figure.
Closure. The law allows temporary or permanent closure, part or all of the business, depending on how serious the breach is (art. 425).
What this means for you. There is no score to improve. What matters is that your daily checks, training proof and pest control papers show the rule is followed every day.

4. The records inspectors ask for

NOM-251 does not give a numbered list of forms for restaurants. These are the records the rule points to, or that a good system keeps:

Fridge and freezer temperature readings.
Cooking, reheating and hot or cold holding temperatures against the numbers above.
Deliveries. Fresh and frozen fish temperature on arrival, and rejected goods marked and set apart (7.4.3).
Cleaning and disinfection at the end of the day and at shift changes.
Training. Date, participants, trainer and proof (constancia) for each person, at least once a year.
Pest control certificates, from a licensed provider.
Water. Documents showing the water is safe to drink, or evidence that you boil, disinfect or purify it (7.4.4).
Your aviso de funcionamiento, filed before opening.

How long to keep them. NOM-251 sets no period for a restaurant's records. The one retention period we read, one and a half times the shelf life of the product, is for food factories (6.6.1), not restaurants. Keep records as long as your state health agency asks.

5. Where businesses go wrong

Gaps. Days with no temperature checks written down.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but there is no constancia with the date and trainer.
Thawing at room temperature. The rule bans it.
Reheating below 74°C, or reusing leftovers more than once.
Food outside the numbers. Cold food above 7°C, or hot food at 60°C or below.
No action recorded. A fridge reading too warm with nothing written about what was done.
No pest control papers, or a provider without a licence.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Not filing the aviso. Opening without it can bring a fine.

6. By type of business

The federal rule applies to all, but the records you keep depend on what you do.

Restaurant: cooking, reheating, hot and cold holding temperatures, deliveries, cleaning, yearly training proof and pest control certificates.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, and prepared food kept covered and at the right temperature until it leaves.
Café: fridge and display temperatures, ice handling (potable ice served only with tongs or scoops, 7.4.7), cleaning and training.
Bakery / cake shop: fridge temperatures for cream and fillings, cleaning, training, pest control. Prepacked goods fall under the NOM-051 label rules.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer readings for desserts and ice cream, and cold display at 7°C or less.
Pub / bar / club: food service records as for a restaurant, plus ice rules: ice used to cool bottles must not be used in drinks (7.4.6).
Community hall / venue: ask your state health agency whether your event kitchen needs an aviso; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, pest control; packaged food labels follow NOM-051.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records and yearly training proof; ask your state education and health agencies if more is required.
Caterer / food van: transport must keep chilled and frozen food at the right temperature (5.13.3); keep temperature records on the move and at the event.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a separate rule. Ask your state health agency whether you need an aviso, and keep the same kind of records.

7. Why digital records help in Mexico

Covered by the rule. NOM-251 defines a record as information that is electronic or not (point 3.42), so electronic records are covered. There is no government records app.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record can ask what you did about it.
Training proof ready. The date, trainer and person are kept in one place for the yearly training.
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 Spanish or another language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Mexican rule, NOM-251, and tells the law apart from our own suggestions. It does not file your aviso de funcionamiento and is not approved by COFEPRIS or any state agency. 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 NOM-251 numbers for fridges, cooking, reheating and 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 a likely result and a "Put it right" list.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for prepacked food, 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 Spanish, so your team can use it in their own language.

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 pesos 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 stall 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 fewer printed forms and nothing to store in a back office.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in Mexico?

NOM-251 sets the hygiene rules for every food business, including temperatures and yearly training. It does not give restaurants a numbered list of forms, but records are how you prove you follow it.

Who inspects restaurants in Mexico?

Your state's health agency, under agreements with the federal COFEPRIS. In some states federal staff visit too.

Do I need a health licence for a restaurant?

No. You file an aviso de funcionamiento in writing at least 30 days before you start (Ley General de Salud, art. 200 Bis).

Is HACCP compulsory?

No. NOM-251 says establishments may set up a HACCP system, unless the product's own NOM requires it.

Is there a hygiene grade in Mexico?

No. The Distintivo H is a voluntary tourism badge, not an inspection result.

How often must staff be trained?

At least once a year in good hygiene practices (NOM-251, 5.14.1). Keep proof such as a constancia.

What temperature must my fridge be?

At most 7°C (NOM-251, 5.5.2).

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

Above 60°C (NOM-251, 7.3.3). Cold prepared food must be 7°C or less.

What temperature should I cook food to?

63°C for fish and beef joints, 68°C for pork joints and minced meats, and 74°C for poultry, sausages and stuffings (NOM-251, 7.3.1).

What temperature must I reheat food to?

At least 74°C (NOM-251, 7.3.2).

Can I thaw food on the counter?

No. Thaw in the fridge, by cooking, in a microwave or under running cold water. Do not freeze thawed food again (7.4.1).

How long must I keep my records?

NOM-251 sets no period for restaurants. Keep them as long as your state health agency asks.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

NOM-251 defines a record as electronic or not (point 3.42). We found no rule against digital records.

Must I show allergens on my menu?

We found no rule that makes a restaurant show allergens. Packaged food labels follow NOM-051.

What are the fines?

They are set in multiples of the UMA, for example up to 2,000 times the UMA for breaking the aviso rule (art. 419). A repeat within a year doubles the fine (art. 423).

Can the authority close my business?

Yes, partly or fully, temporarily or for good, depending on how serious the breach is (art. 425).

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

We could not confirm separate rules. Ask your state health agency whether you must file an aviso.

What language does the app use?

Spanish and 39 other languages, so staff can use their own.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Mexico?

About €2.99 a month per site, or about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops, shown in pesos in your app store. Unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

12. Official sources

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