Food Safety Records in North Macedonia: Law, AHV Inspections, HACCP

North Macedonia food safety records explained: the law, AHV inspections, HACCP records, what inspectors ask for and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in North Macedonia need food safety records? Yes. The Law on Food Safety requires food businesses (other than primary producers) to run permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, with documents and records that fit the size of the business. Those documents and records must be kept for two years, or longer if the food needs it. The Food and Veterinary Agency (Агенција за храна и ветеринарство, AHV) is the authority. North Macedonia has no public hygiene rating. This page explains the rules, what inspectors can do, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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This page covers North Macedonia. The facts come from the consolidated Law on Food Safety (as published in the Official Gazette, copy held by FAOLEX) and from the AHV website. Where we could not confirm a rule, we say so. The Chef Hygiene app works in Macedonian, so staff can use it in their own language.

The law: what every food business must do
Who inspects you
No public rating
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in North Macedonia
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

1. The law: what every food business must do

The main law. The Law on Food Safety (Закон за безбедност на храната, Official Gazette 157/2010, with later amendments). The AHV is the authority behind it (AHV).
Register the business. The AHV keeps a register of premises of food businesses that handle food of non-animal origin. Article 49 lists production, catering (угостителска дејност), distribution, transport, storage and retail. You apply to the AHV. To be registered, the business premises must be owned by you or you must have the right to use them, and the business must be registered in the Central Registry of North Macedonia. The AHV checks the Central Registry itself. The AHV publishes its registers of registered and approved premises on its website (Articles 49 and 53). For food of animal origin, a separate register and approval route applies (Article 50). We could not confirm from the AHV page exactly how each type of restaurant registers, so ask your AHV regional unit which route fits you (AHV: registered premises).
A HACCP-based food safety system. Article 45 requires food businesses (except primary producers) to put in place, run and maintain permanent procedures based on HACCP principles. The seven principles are in the law:
find each hazard to prevent, remove or reduce;
find the critical control points;
set critical limits;
monitor the critical points;
set corrective actions;
check that the system works;
keep documents and records that fit the kind and size of the business.
Proof for the AHV. You must show the AHV that you comply, in the way it asks, keep the documents up to date, and keep all documents and records for two years, unless the food makes a longer period necessary (Article 45(4)). A rulebook on applying HACCP principles also exists (Official Gazette 113/2008).
Guides. The AHV encourages good hygiene practice guides and HACCP guides. Businesses may use them voluntarily (Article 46).
Staff training. Article 83 says the food business must make sure the people who work there have the right preparation and basic food safety knowledge, in line with good hygiene practice. Training providers and certificates for basic food safety knowledge are authorised and set by the AHV. We could not find a stated renewal period.
Staff health. Article 83 also requires staff to meet health conditions. The health examinations follow the rules on infectious diseases, and the food business pays for them. The inspector can order people who carry infectious diseases that spread through food to be removed from food work (Article 121). We could not confirm the details of a health book (санитарна книшка) or how often checks are due, so ask your authority.
Temperatures. We found no temperature numbers for restaurants in the law. We do not give any, as we cannot back them with an official source. Ask your AHV inspector which limits they expect, and set your critical limits in your HACCP plan.
Allergens. We could not find a national North Macedonian rulebook on allergen information for food that is not prepacked. The AHV website hosts an EU-funded guide that describes the EU rules: the 14 allergens, and information that may be on a menu, board or card, or given orally if a visible notice says to ask. It says giving the information only on request is not enough. This is guidance about EU rules, not a North Macedonian law (AHV guide). Ask your authority which rule applies to you.
Fines. The law has a fines chapter, but we did not confirm the amounts on an official page, so we give none.

2. Who inspects you

The AHV. The state food inspector (државен инспектор за храна) works for the food safety system. Veterinary inspectors cover food of animal origin.
What the inspector can do (Article 121). Under the law the food inspector can:
ask for information and original documents about production and trade, and take copies for the inspection file;
check all stages of production, processing and distribution;
take samples for the laboratory;
order measures to put defects right;
ban the use of premises or equipment, or parts of them, if standards are not met;
ban production and sale of food that is a risk to health;
order unsafe food to be destroyed, or destroy it;
order people who carry food-borne infectious diseases to be removed from food work;
in immediate danger to life or health, give an oral order to put defects right at once, which is then written down.
Check of the register. When the AHV does official controls, it compares the registration data with the real state of the premises (Article 49(6)).
How often. We could not confirm an official visit schedule, so we do not give one.

3. No public rating

No rating. We found no public hygiene rating, score or sticker for restaurants in North Macedonia, and nothing that has to be displayed.
What is public. The AHV publishes its registers of registered and approved food premises on its website (Article 53). If there is a risk to health from food, the AHV informs the public about the risk (Article 11).
What this means for you. There is no score to improve. Inspectors judge your premises and your documents on the day. Good records show that your system works every day.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for documents and records that fit the kind and size of your business, and they must prove that the HACCP system works. It does not list forms. In practice, the records that show your system works are:

Your HACCP documents: hazards, critical control points, critical limits and your corrective actions (Article 45).
Monitoring records for each critical control point you set.
Corrective actions: what you did when a check was out of limit.
Checks that the system works, and updates when a product, process or step changes (Article 45).
Staff training records for basic food safety knowledge (Article 83).
Health examination records as the rules on infectious diseases require (Article 83).
Proof of registration with the AHV and the Central Registry.

How long to keep them. Two years, unless the nature of the food makes a longer period necessary (Article 45(4)(3)).

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 HACCP system on paper that staff do not follow.
No action recorded. A check out of limit with nothing written about what was done.
Documents out of date. The law requires regular updating, and updates when a product or process changes.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away, and records are needed for two years.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but nothing proves it.
Not registered, or the register does not match. The AHV compares the register with the real state of the premises.

6. By type of business

The HACCP duty is the same for every food business except primary producers. The records depend on what you do. We found no separate national rules by business type, so these are the records that fit each kind of business under Article 45.

Restaurant: monitoring records for your critical control points, corrective actions, training and health records.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, with records for the food you hand over or deliver.
Café: records for the foods you prepare and store, plus cleaning and training.
Bakery / cake shop: records for the critical points in your process, and for products with fillings or cream.
Dessert shop: records for storage and handling of the desserts you make.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for any food you serve.
Community hall / venue: if you serve food as a business, register and keep records for each event. Ask the AHV how your venue is treated.
Corner shop / grocery: retail is listed in the register (Article 49). Keep records for storage and for any food you prepare. Foods of animal origin may follow Article 50.
School / nursery kitchen: the same HACCP duty. Keep training and health records for kitchen staff.
Caterer / food van: transport and catering are listed in Article 49. Keep records with you at each event.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a special route for home kitchens. Ask the AHV before you start.

7. Why digital records help in North Macedonia

The law asks for records, not paper. Article 45 says documents and records must fit the business and prove the system works. It does not say they must be on paper. We could not find an AHV page that speaks about digital records, so ask your inspector if you are unsure.
Two years is a long time. Records on a phone or tablet cannot get wet, greasy or lost.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day.
Problems come with their fix. When a check is out of limit, the record can ask what you did about it.
Ready for the inspector. The inspector can ask for documents (Article 121). You can show everything at once.
Every staff member can take part. Staff can record checks in Macedonian on a phone or tablet.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene is built around the HACCP records the law asks for. 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.
Country rules built in. The app follows the Law on Food Safety, and tells you where we could not confirm a rule.
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 inspector.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with questions for your type of business and a "Put it right" list. It shows a likely result, though North Macedonia has no rating 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, including Macedonian. Staff can use the app 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 your local currency 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 for two years.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in North Macedonia?

Yes. Article 45 of the Law on Food Safety requires permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, with documents and records that fit the size and kind of the business. Primary producers are excepted.

Who inspects restaurants in North Macedonia?

The Food and Veterinary Agency (AHV). Its state food inspector has the powers in Article 121 of the law.

How long must I keep my records?

Two years, unless the nature of the food makes a longer period necessary (Article 45(4)(3)).

Do I need to register my food business?

Yes. The AHV keeps a register of premises that include catering, distribution, storage and retail of non-animal-origin food. You apply to the AHV, and the business must be registered in the Central Registry. Ask your AHV regional unit how your type of business registers.

What do I need to register?

The law asks that you own the premises or have the right to use them, and that the business is registered in the Central Registry (Article 49).

Is there a hygiene rating in North Macedonia?

We found none. There is no public rating, score or sticker to display.

Can an inspector close my business?

The inspector can ban the use of premises or equipment, or parts of them, if standards are not met, and ban production and sale of food that is a risk to health (Article 121).

Can an inspector take my records?

The inspector can ask for information and original documents and take copies for the inspection file (Article 121).

Are inspections announced?

We could not confirm an official rule on this.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

The law asks for documents and records that fit the business and prove the system works. It does not name paper. We found no AHV page on digital records, so ask your inspector if you are unsure.

What temperature must my fridge be?

We found no official numbers in the law. Ask your AHV inspector, and set your critical limits in your HACCP plan.

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

Staff need the right preparation and basic food safety knowledge. The AHV authorises the trainers and certificates for basic food safety knowledge (Article 83).

Do my staff need a medical check?

Staff must meet health conditions, checked under the rules on infectious diseases, and the food business pays for it (Article 83). We could not confirm the exact checks, so ask your authority.

Can staff work when they are ill?

The inspector can order people who carry infectious diseases that spread through food to be removed from food work (Article 121).

What allergen information do I need?

We could not find a national rulebook for loose food. The AHV hosts an EU guide that describes the 14 allergens and says giving the information only on request is not enough. Ask your authority which rule applies.

What are the fines?

The law has a fines chapter, but we did not confirm the amounts on an official page.

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

Transport and catering are listed in Article 49. We could not confirm a special route for home kitchens, so ask the AHV before you start.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in North Macedonia?

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

Does the app work in Macedonian?

Yes. The app works in Macedonian and 39 other languages.

12. Official sources

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