Food Safety Records in the Netherlands: Rules and NVWA Checks

Dutch food safety records explained: the law, NVWA inspections, published results, hygiene code records, allergens and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in the Netherlands need food safety records? Yes. Every food business must work with a food safety plan based on HACCP. You can write your own plan, or follow an approved hygiene code from your trade association, such as the KHN Hygiënecode voor de Horeca. The NVWA (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit) inspects without warning and publishes every result online, with no sticker for your window. This page explains the Dutch rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Get it from Microsoft

Use it in your browser

This page covers the European Netherlands. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba have their own food law and are not covered. 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 the hygiene code or NVWA advice, we say so. Chef Hygiene works in Dutch, so your team can use it in their own language.

## Contents

The law: what every Dutch food business must do
Who inspects you, and what happens after
Published inspection results
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in the Netherlands
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

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

The main laws. EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene, and the Dutch Warenwetbesluit hygiëne van levensmiddelen (wetten.overheid.nl).
Register with the NVWA. The NVWA says you must register your food business with it, online in MijnNVWA (NVWA). This includes people who sell food from home.
A HACCP-based food safety plan. This is mandatory (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). You can write your own plan and have the NVWA approve it. The easier way is an approved hygiene code from your trade association. Most restaurants use the KHN Hygiënecode voor de Horeca. If you use an approved code and follow it, you comply. If you say you use it but do not follow it, you do not comply (Warenwetbesluit, Article 5(2)).
Temperatures: law. Chilled food must be 7°C or colder, measured in the food, in storage and in transport. A colder temperature on the label wins. Hot food kept for direct sale must be 60°C or hotter (Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen, Article 15).
Temperatures: guidance. These numbers come from the NVWA and the hygiene code, not from a law:
Fridge setting: 4°C is the KHN and Voedingscentrum advice. The legal limit is still 7°C.
Frozen food: -18°C or colder.
Cooking: 75°C or hotter in the centre.
Cooling: the law says only "as fast as possible". The code starts at 75°C or hotter, gives 20°C or colder after 2 hours as a guide value, and 7°C or colder within 5 hours as the norm.
Reheating: 60°C or hotter in the centre, within 60 minutes.
Thawing: in the fridge or under cold running water.
Chilled food out of the fridge. In restaurants and canteens, chilled food may stand out of the fridge once, for at most 2 hours, and is then thrown away. You need a written procedure and a log, kept for at least 1 year (Warenwetregeling Vrijstelling gekoeld bewaren in kantines en restaurants, Article 1).
Staff training. Dutch law sets no food hygiene certificate, number of hours or renewal. Staff must be supervised and instructed to suit their work (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII). KHN says staff must know the hygiene code, and the owner may instruct them. The NVWA checks staff knowledge during inspections.
Staff who are ill. A person with a disease carried by food, infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea must not handle food, and must report it at once (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter VIII). For norovirus, RIVM advises returning to normal work no earlier than 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea stops (RIVM). This is advice.
Alcohol licence. Managers named on an alcohol licence must be 21 or older and hold the Verklaring Sociale Hygiëne (Alcoholwet, Article 8). This is separate from food hygiene.
First aid and fire (BHV). With one or more employees, you must appoint a BHV'er for first aid, fire fighting and evacuation (Arbowet, Article 15). The law sets no refresher interval.
Allergens. The 14 EU allergens must be declared (Regulation 1169/2011). For food that is not prepacked, you have two ways (Warenwetregeling allergeneninformatie niet-voorverpakte levensmiddelen, in force since 13 December 2014; wetten.overheid.nl):
Written (Article 2). A clearly visible notice where the food is sold says where the allergen information is. The information is available in writing or electronically, easy to reach, understandable and legible.
Spoken (Article 3). You or your staff can always give correct information before the sale. The information is also always available in writing or electronically for staff and the NVWA. A clearly visible notice asks guests to ask staff.
Food packed at the buyer's request, or packed for immediate sale, counts as non-prepacked.

## 2. Who inspects you, and what happens after

The NVWA. It inspects restaurants and takeaways for food safety. The municipality (gemeente) handles permits, the alcohol licence and local fire safety enforcement.
Unannounced and risk-based. You must let the inspector in. We could not confirm a published visit schedule, so we do not give one.
After a visit. You get a letter listing the breaches, the actions you must take, and whether the NVWA will come back (NVWA). Breaches are light, medium or serious:
Light: written down and checked again at the next visit.
Medium: an official warning. In hospitality, the same medium breach gets two warnings, then an administrative fine (bestuurlijke boete).
Serious: a fine at once, and a re-inspection.
Stricter supervision. Three or more serious breaches within 2 years mean verscherpt toezicht. If you do not improve, the NVWA can close the business or stop its activities (NVWA). The policy is in Staatscourant 2026, 8641.

## 3. Published inspection results

Public, but no sticker. The NVWA publishes inspection results online under Article 44 of the Gezondheidswet (results site). We found no rule that you must show the result at your premises.
Four levels:
Voldoet (meets the rules).
Verbeterpunten vastgesteld (points to improve). A re-inspection follows.
Verscherpt toezicht (stricter supervision).
Geen recente gegevens (no recent data): not inspected yet, or the last visit was over 2 years ago.
Four topics: correct handling of food (HACCP), allergen information, hygiene and building, and pest control. A topic that was not checked again shows Niet beoordeeld.
How long. A result stays online for at most 2 years.
What this means for you. Customers can look you up. Records that show your plan works every day help you earn "Voldoet" on all four topics.

## 4. The records inspectors ask for

If you follow the KHN Hygiënecode voor de Horeca, its model forms show what is expected (KHN):

Fridges and freezers: read the display daily, and check with a probe weekly.
Deliveries: check each supplier at least once a week (temperature, packaging, best-before date).
Cooking, cooling, hot holding, serving and reheating: record temperatures once a week.
Thermometer test: boiling water and melting ice, every 3 months. A difference of more than 1.0°C means recalibrate or replace.
Chilled food out of the fridge: a log each time (date, product, batch number, amount, start and end time, name, reason for ending).
Cleaning schedule, approved suppliers and a periodic hygiene check.
Corrective actions written on each form.
Allergen information for every dish.

How long to keep them. KHN advises keeping the code's records for at least 6 months. This is advice. The 1-year rule for out-of-fridge logs is law. We could not find a general legal period for other records, so ask the NVWA if you are unsure.

Digital or paper. We could not find an NVWA page that says digital records are accepted or not. EU guidance on HACCP flexibility (notice 2022/C 355/01) supports records in the form that suits the business. Ask the NVWA if you are unsure.

## 5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Weeks with no temperature checks written down.
A plan that doesn't match the kitchen. You say you follow the hygiene code, but staff do not.
No action recorded. A fridge above 7°C with nothing written about what was done.
Out-of-fridge food without a log. The 2-hour rule needs a procedure and a log.
Staff who don't know the code. The NVWA checks staff knowledge.
Allergens by word of mouth with no written back-up. The spoken method only works if the information is also in writing for staff and the NVWA, and a notice asks guests to ask.
Not registered. Register with the NVWA, even if you sell from home.

## 6. By type of business

The NVWA treats these as separate groups, each with its own guidance page: hospitality, craft businesses (bakeries), retail, institutions (such as daycare), markets, events and food trucks, and selling from home. All must register.

Restaurant: daily fridge reads, weekly cooking, cooling, hot holding and reheating records, deliveries, cleaning, and allergen information for every dish.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information before the order is completed and at delivery (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 14).
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches and cakes.
Bakery: the NVWA lists craft businesses such as bakeries as their own group. Keep allergen records for every product and display temperatures for cream cakes.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures for desserts and ice cream, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records for food you serve. Managers on the alcohol licence need the Verklaring Sociale Hygiëne.
Community hall / venue: register with the NVWA if you serve food as a business, and keep temperature and cleaning records for each event. The municipality handles permits and fire safety.
Corner shop / grocery: retail is its own NVWA group. Fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: the NVWA lists institutions such as daycare as their own group. Keep temperature and cleaning records and careful allergen records for every child.
Caterer / food van: markets, events and food trucks are their own NVWA group. Keep temperatures during transport and at the event.
Home kitchen business: "selling from home" is its own NVWA group. You must register in MijnNVWA like everyone else.

## 7. Why digital records help in the Netherlands

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 NVWA. 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 Dutch law and the KHN hygiene code. 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 7°C and 60°C limits, and the code's cooling and reheating numbers.
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, showing a likely result in the NVWA's own scheme (Voldoet, Verbeterpunten vastgesteld, Verscherpt toezicht), and a "Put it right" list.
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); 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 truck 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 the Netherlands?

Yes. A food safety plan based on HACCP is mandatory (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). You can write your own or follow an approved hygiene code.

### Who inspects restaurants in the Netherlands?

The NVWA. The municipality handles permits, the alcohol licence and local fire safety.

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

Yes. The NVWA says you must register, online in MijnNVWA. This includes selling food from home.

### Are inspections announced?

No. They are unannounced and risk-based. You must let the inspector in.

### Is there a hygiene rating or sticker?

No sticker. The NVWA publishes results online: Voldoet, Verbeterpunten vastgesteld, Verscherpt toezicht or Geen recente gegevens.

### What is verscherpt toezicht?

Stricter supervision. Three or more serious breaches within 2 years lead to it, and the NVWA can then close the business if you do not improve.

### Do I have to write my own HACCP plan?

No. You can use an approved hygiene code such as the KHN Hygiënecode voor de Horeca. If you use it, you must follow it.

### Are digital food safety records accepted?

We could not find an NVWA page that says so directly. EU guidance supports records in a form that suits the business. Ask the NVWA if you are unsure.

### How long must I keep my records?

KHN advises at least 6 months for the code's records. Logs of chilled food kept out of the fridge must be kept for at least 1 year, which is law.

### What temperature must my fridge be?

By law, 7°C or colder. KHN and the Voedingscentrum advise setting it to 4°C.

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

60°C or hotter for hot food kept for direct sale (Warenwetbesluit, Article 15).

### What temperature should I cook food to?

NVWA and hygiene code guidance: 75°C or hotter in the centre.

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

No law requires one. Staff must be instructed and supervised to suit their work, and should know the hygiene code.

### What do alcohol-licence managers need?

They must be 21 or older and hold the Verklaring Sociale Hygiëne (Alcoholwet, Article 8).

### What allergen information do I need?

Written (a visible notice saying where the information is) or spoken (staff can always tell guests, the written version is available to staff and the NVWA, and a notice asks guests to ask).

### Can chilled food stand out of the fridge?

Once, for at most 2 hours, then it is thrown away. You need a written procedure and a log kept for 1 year.

### Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with diarrhoea, infected wounds or skin infections, and they must report it. RIVM advises 24 hours after norovirus symptoms stop.

### How much does Chef Hygiene cost in the Netherlands?

€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 Dutch food safety records ready for every inspection:

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Get it from Microsoft

Use it in your browser