Food Safety Records in Montenegro: Laws and Inspections

Montenegro food safety records explained: the 2026 law, HACCP, registration, inspections, allergens, the records inspectors ask for and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Montenegro need food safety records? Yes. Every food business must run permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, keep dated records of what it does, and keep those documents and records (Law on Food Safety, Article 36). The Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Administration inspects. Montenegro has no public hygiene rating or sticker. A new Law on Food Safety was adopted on 27 April 2026 and replaced the old 2015 law. This page explains the Montenegrin 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. The laws are written in Montenegrin; we give their meaning in plain English and say clearly when we could not confirm something. The Chef Hygiene app works in Montenegrin and in many other languages, so staff can use it in the language they know best.

## Contents

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

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

The main law. The Law on Food Safety (Zakon o bezbjednosti hrane), adopted on 27 April 2026 and published as Official Gazette 59/26. Article 87 says the old Law on Food Safety (57/15) stops being valid when the new law enters into force, and Article 88 says that is the eighth day after publication (Law on Food Safety 2026, Official Gazette). Article 84 says that rules made under the old law keep applying until new ones are adopted (the law gives 18 months), as long as they do not conflict with the new law.
The hygiene rules. A Government Decree on Food Hygiene (Uredba o higijeni hrane) was adopted on 28 May 2026. It sets the hygiene rules for premises, equipment, personal hygiene, training and transport (Decree on Food Hygiene, Official Gazette).
Register before you open. Article 43 of the law says you must submit a request for registration of your premises to the competent authority before you start the activity. Article 42 says food activity may only be done in registered or approved premises, and the register is published on the authority's website. Tell the authority about changes in your registered details within 30 days (Article 45). The Ministry sets which kinds of premises need registration, the form and the documents; we could not confirm which category a restaurant, bakery or shop falls into, so ask the Administration.
A HACCP-based system. Article 36 says you must set up, apply and keep up procedures based on HACCP principles. Those include finding hazards, setting critical control points and limits, monitoring them, deciding corrective actions, checking the system, and recording and documenting in a way that fits the type and size of the business. The hygiene decree repeats the HACCP rule (Article 7).
Records. Under Article 36(4) you must: prove on request that your procedures work; keep a chronological, up-to-date record of what you did; and keep the documentation and records. The decree adds that you must keep other records for an appropriate period (Article 7(5)). Neither text gives a number of years.
Temperatures. We found no fixed temperatures for restaurants in the law or the decree. The decree says food that can support bacteria or toxins must not be kept at temperatures that could be a risk to health, the cold chain must not be broken, and food that will be kept or served cold must be cooled as soon as possible to a temperature that is no risk (Annex 2, Part 10). Any figure you work to is your own HACCP decision.
Staff training. The decree (Annex 2, Part 14) says the business must make sure food handlers are supervised, instructed and/or trained for the work they do, and that people who develop and keep up the HACCP procedures have suitable HACCP training. We found no fixed hours or renewal period.
Staff who are ill. A person with an illness that can pass through food, or who carries it, or who has infected wounds, skin infections, open wounds or diarrhoea, must not be allowed to handle food or enter food-handling areas if there is a risk of contamination. Staff must report illness or symptoms to the business without delay (Decree, Annex 2). We could not confirm the rules on health certificates or health books, so ask the Administration.
Allergens. See the next part.

### Allergens

Where the rule is. The Government Decree on Informing Consumers about Food (Uredba o informisanju potrošača o hrani, Official Gazette 22/2018). It covers restaurants, canteens, catering, vehicles, stalls, schools and hospitals, and food sold at a distance (Article 4). Under Article 84 of the 2026 law, rules made under the old law continue to apply until new ones are adopted, if not in conflict. We could not confirm whether a newer decree has replaced it.
The 14 allergens. Annex 1 lists 14: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre), lupin and molluscs.
Loose food. Article 32 says that for non-prepacked food sold directly to the consumer or to catering, or packed at the point of sale at the customer's request or packed there for direct sale, the business must give the mandatory food information the article names. The text does not say whether this must be written or spoken, so we do not state a rule on it.
Prepacked food. Allergens must appear in the ingredient list with the exact name from Annex 1, or be shown differently from other ingredients (Article 15).
Phone, web and delivery orders. For loose food offered at a distance, the information must be available before the sale is completed and again when the food is delivered (Article 33).

## 2. Who inspects you, and how often

The Administration. The Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Administration (Uprava za bezbjednost hrane, veterinu i fitosanitarne poslove) is the competent authority. Official control is carried out by its food inspectors: official veterinarians for food of animal origin and inspectors for food of non-animal origin (Article 78).
What inspectors check. Inspectors take samples, check traceability, and check your HACCP-based system and its results (Article 80).
What inspectors can order. Inspectors can order you to meet the hygiene rules, set up HACCP procedures, clean and disinfect, ban work in premises that are not registered or approved, and order recalls (Article 81).
How often. We could not confirm an official visit schedule for restaurants, so we do not give one.

## 3. No public rating

No rating. We found no public hygiene rating, score or sticker for Montenegrin restaurants in the law or on the official sites.
What this means for you. There is no score to raise, but a ban or a fine is serious. Good records show an inspector that your system works every day.

## 4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit the type and size of your business, such as:

Monitoring records for each critical control point in your HACCP plan, such as fridge, freezer, cooking and hot-holding checks.
Cleaning and disinfection records, and pest control records. The decree requires suitable pest control procedures.
Supplier and delivery records for traceability.
Training records for food handlers and for people who run the HACCP procedures.
Allergen information for every dish, and for delivery and online orders.
Updated HACCP documents. You must keep the documents that describe your procedures up to date (Decree, Article 7(5)) and review them when a product, process or step changes (Article 7(3)).

How long to keep them. The law says only that you keep documentation and records, and the decree says "an appropriate period". We could not find a fixed number of years.

## 5. Where businesses go wrong

Not registering first. Starting work without asking for registration is an offence (Article 82).
No working HACCP system. Not setting up, applying or keeping up HACCP procedures is an offence under both the law and the decree.
Gaps in the records. Days with no checks written down. Not keeping records is a listed offence (Article 82).
No action recorded. A fridge reading that is too warm, with nothing written about what was done.
Allergens only by word of mouth. The rule requires you to give the information; the surest way to show you did is to keep it in writing.
Training not shown. Staff were trained but nothing proves it.

## 6. By type of business

The hygiene decree covers all stages of food handling. It does not apply to preparing, handling or storing food for your own household use only (Article 2). The records you keep depend on what you do.

Restaurant: daily checks, cooking and hot-holding, cooling, deliveries, cleaning, and allergen information for every dish.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information before a phone or online order is completed and again at delivery.
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches, salads and cakes.
Bakery: allergen records for every product, display temperatures for cream and filled goods, and labels for prepacked goods with allergens clearly shown.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer checks for desserts and ice cream, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same as a restaurant for the food you serve, plus allergen information for every dish.
Community hall / venue: if you serve food as a business, register the premises and keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and labels for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: the allergen decree names educational institutions. Keep temperature and cleaning records and careful allergen records for every child.
Caterer / food van: the allergen decree names catering, vehicles and stalls. Register the business, keep temperatures in transport and at the event, and carry your records with you.
Home kitchen business: food for your own household is outside the rules, but selling food is not. Ask the Administration how to register a home-based business; we could not confirm a special home-kitchen route.

## 7. Why digital records help in Montenegro

The law says documentation and records, not paper. Article 36 and the decree do not say records must be on paper. We could not find an official page that says digital records are accepted, so ask your inspector if you are unsure.
Chronological and up to date. A digital record carries the date, time and name of the person who made it.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day, not at the next inspection.
Ready for the inspector. You can show everything at once, instead of looking for folders.

## 8. How Chef Hygiene helps

What Chef Hygiene 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. The app is set up for Montenegro.
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. Montenegro has no rating, so it shows no score.
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 Montenegrin.

## 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; 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 less waste, and nothing to store in a back office.

## 11. FAQ

### Do I legally need food safety records in Montenegro?

Yes. You must apply HACCP-based procedures, document what you do in a way that fits your business, and keep the documentation and records (Law on Food Safety, Article 36).

### Which food law applies now?

The Law on Food Safety adopted on 27 April 2026 (Official Gazette 59/26). It ended the 2015 law (57/15). Rules made under the old law keep applying until new ones are adopted, if they do not conflict with the new law.

### Who inspects restaurants in Montenegro?

The food inspectors of the Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Administration.

### Do I have to register before I open?

Yes. You must submit a request for registration of your premises before you start (Article 43). Starting without registering is an offence.

### Is there a hygiene rating in Montenegro?

No. We found no public rating, score or sticker.

### Are digital food safety records accepted?

The law asks for documentation and records and does not say they must be on paper. We could not find an official statement on digital records, so ask your inspector if you are unsure.

### How long must I keep my records?

The law and decree give no number of years. The decree says "an appropriate period".

### What temperature must my fridge be?

We found no number in the law or decree. They require temperature control and an unbroken cold chain. Your HACCP plan sets your own limits.

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

We found no figure in the law. Food must not be held at temperatures that are a risk to health.

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

We found no fixed certificate or course in the decree. Handlers must be supervised, instructed and/or trained for their work, and HACCP staff must have suitable training.

### Do my staff need a health book?

We could not confirm this. Ask the Administration what health checks apply to your staff.

### Can staff work when they are ill?

Not if they have an illness that can pass through food, infected wounds, skin infections or diarrhoea and there is a risk of contamination. They must tell you about it without delay.

### What allergen information do I need?

You must give the mandatory food information for loose food sold to customers or catering (Article 32 of the 2018 decree), and Annex 1 lists the 14 allergens. The text does not say written or spoken.

### Does the allergen rule apply to phone and delivery orders?

Yes. For loose food offered at a distance, the information must be available before the sale is completed and again at delivery (Article 33).

### What are the fines?

The 2026 law sets fines of €2,000 to €20,000 for a company, €1,000 to €6,000 for an entrepreneur, and €500 to €2,000 for a responsible person or individual, for listed offences such as not registering, not applying HACCP, or not keeping records (Article 82). The hygiene decree has its own fines (company €500 to €10,000, entrepreneur €150 to €3,000; Article 16), and the 2018 allergen decree sets €500 to €20,000 for a company and €150 to €6,000 for an entrepreneur (Article 34).

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

€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 Montenegrin food safety records ready for every inspection:

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

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Use it in your browser