Food Safety Records in Portugal: Laws, ASAE and Records

Portuguese food safety records explained: the law, ASAE inspections, the MCP, allergens, the records inspectors ask for and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Portugal need food safety records? Yes. Every food business must have own checks (autocontrolo) based on HACCP principles, with the flexibility EU rules give small businesses. On the mainland, ASAE inspects restaurants, cafés and bars. Portugal has no public hygiene rating or sticker, but a hygiene breach is a serious economic offence and can lead to a fine or closure. This page explains the Portuguese rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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This page covers Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira. 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 guidance, we say so. Where we could not confirm something officially, we say that too. The app works in Portuguese.

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

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

The main laws. EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene, applied in Portugal by Decreto-Lei 113/2006 (Decreto-Lei 113/2006, consolidated text). Offences are set in Decreto-Lei 9/2021.
Tell the town council before you open. Before opening a restaurant, café, bar or similar place, you must submit a Mera Comunicação Prévia (MCP) to the town council (câmara municipal). It is a form in which you declare that you meet all the conditions to operate. You file it online, choosing your district or island and then your municipality (gov.pt: open a restaurant or drinks business). The legal basis is the RJACSR, Decreto-Lei 10/2015. We could not confirm a fee or the exact conditions on that page, so ask your town council.
Own checks (autocontrolo). Decreto-Lei 113/2006 requires own checks based on HACCP principles. Regulation 852/2004 lets small businesses use a simpler, flexible system. ASAE says the records should fit the size of the business, and that paper or digital is fine (ASAE).
Temperatures: law and guidance. Portuguese law sets no fridge, hot-holding, cooling or reheating numbers for restaurants. The numbers below are ASAE guidance or come from the AHRESP code of good practice, an industry body, so they are not law:
Chilled food: 0 to 5°C (ASAE). The AHRESP code says 0 to 4°C. A product's label or its own law comes first, for example for minced meat and fresh fish.
Frozen food: -18°C or colder (ASAE).
Hot food ready to serve: 60°C or hotter (ASAE). The AHRESP code says 65°C or hotter.
Cooling: as fast as possible, for example with a blast chiller, small portions and shallow trays (ASAE). The AHRESP code says down to 5°C within 2 hours.
Reheating: the AHRESP code says 65°C in the centre, once only. Law and ASAE give no reheating number.
Cooking: Portuguese law sets no cooking temperature.
Thawing: in the fridge, in thawing equipment, in the microwave just before cooking, or during cooking. Never at room temperature (ASAE).
Frying oil: never above 180°C, and oil with more than 25% polar compounds may not be used (Portaria 1135/95). This one is law.
Staff training. Portuguese law sets no food hygiene certificate, minimum hours or renewal date. Training must suit the job and be updated when needed (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII). People responsible for the HACCP procedures need adequate training (ASAE).
Staff who are ill. Nobody with a disease carried by food, infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea may handle food. They must tell the manager at once (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter VIII).
Allergens. The 14 EU allergens must be declared (Regulation 1169/2011). In restaurants, allergen information must be available on a medium the customer can easily take in, such as a menu, board, sheet or screen (Decreto-Lei 26/2016, article 4). DGAV says the information can be written, visual or electronic. Spoken-only information is not enough on this reading. It must be in Portuguese; other languages may be added (DGAV clarification on Decreto-Lei 26/2016).
Complaints book. Every business must have the paper complaints book (livro de reclamações) and offer the electronic one at livroreclamacoes.pt. You must show a notice, easy to see and read, that you have a complaints book and which authority handles complaints. Keep closed books and related documents for at least 3 years (Decreto-Lei 156/2005; ASAE: complaints book).

2. Who inspects you, and how often

ASAE on the mainland. The Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica (ASAE) inspects restaurants and other food businesses.
The islands. In the Azores, the regional inspector is IRAE (Inspeção Regional das Atividades Económicas). In Madeira, it is ARAE (Autoridade Regional das Atividades Económicas).
DGAV. The Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária is the national authority for food information, including allergen labelling.
How often. We could not confirm an official fixed visit schedule, so we do not give one.
What can happen. Breaking the hygiene rules is a serious economic offence (contraordenação económica grave) under Decreto-Lei 9/2021 and can bring a fine (coima). Serious breaches can lead to closure (encerramento). We did not read the fine amounts on an official page, so we do not give them.

3. No public rating

No score or sticker. Portugal has no public hygiene rating or window sticker for restaurants.
Public information. ASAE publishes press releases and yearly results of its operations, not a score for each restaurant.
What this means for you. There is no rating to improve. Your protection is a system that works every day and records that prove it.

4. The records inspectors ask for

Portuguese food law sets no fixed list of forms. ASAE says records can cover:

Temperatures of fridges, freezers and hot food.
Cleaning.
Goods received (deliveries).
Pest control.
Training.
Maintenance of equipment.
Corrective actions, meaning what you did when something went wrong.
Allergen management.

Other records you may be asked for:

The complaints book, paper and electronic.
Fire safety records (registos de segurança). Keep them for at least 10 years (RT-SCIE, article 201).

How long to keep them. Decreto-Lei 113/2006 says documents must be kept for the time legally considered adequate. We could not confirm a fixed period for food safety records. The AHRESP code says to record fridge and freezer temperatures at least once a day; that is guidance.

Paper or digital. ASAE says both are fine.

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 system on paper that staff do not follow.
No action recorded. A fridge reading above the limit with nothing written about what was done.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but nothing proves it.
Allergens only by word of mouth. In Portugal the information must be on a medium the customer can easily take in.
No complaints book or notice. The paper book, the electronic book and the visible notice are all required.
Not telling the town council. Opening without the MCP.
Frying oil. Oil used past the legal limit of 25% polar compounds.

6. By type of business

The hygiene rules are the same for every food business, but the records you keep depend on what you do.

Restaurant: MCP to the town council, daily checks, cooking and hot-holding temperatures, cooling, deliveries, cleaning, frying oil, and allergen information on a menu, board or sheet.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information before the order is completed and again at delivery for phone and app orders (Decreto-Lei 26/2016, article 8).
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches and cakes. Food packed in the café for direct sale carries an allergen label (article 6).
Bakery / cake shop: allergen records for every product, display temperatures for cream cakes, and labels for goods you pack.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures for desserts and ice cream, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same MCP route as restaurants and bars, the same records for any food you serve, and the complaints book.
Community hall / venue: we could not confirm a separate official rule, so ask your town council whether serving food counts as a food business; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen labels for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: we did not find a separate official rule in our research. The general hygiene rules and the allergen rules apply, so keep temperature, cleaning and careful allergen records.
Caterer / food van: mobile and non-fixed food businesses have their own route on gov.pt. We read the Madeira page, which covers mobile or removable units; it also uses an MCP to the town council with proof of permission to use the space. For the mainland, ask your town council. Keep temperatures during transport and at the event.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a separate Portuguese rule for home kitchens. Ask your town council and ASAE before you start, and keep the same kind of records.

7. Why digital records help in Portugal

Accepted by ASAE. ASAE says records can be on paper or digital.
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 inspector. 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 Portuguese rules, ASAE guidance and the AHRESP code of good practice. 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, with the Portuguese temperature guidance for chilled food, frozen food, hot holding and cooling.
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. Portugal has no public 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 Portuguese.

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 Portugal?

Yes. You need own checks (autocontrolo) based on HACCP principles, with the flexibility Regulation 852/2004 gives small businesses (Decreto-Lei 113/2006). ASAE says the records should fit the size of the business.

Who inspects restaurants in Portugal?

ASAE on the mainland, IRAE in the Azores and ARAE in Madeira.

Do I have to tell the town council before I open?

Yes. Before opening a restaurant, café or bar you must submit a Mera Comunicação Prévia (MCP) to the câmara municipal, online through gov.pt.

What is the MCP?

A form in which you declare that you meet all the conditions to operate. The basis is the RJACSR, Decreto-Lei 10/2015.

Is there a hygiene rating in Portugal?

No. There is no public rating or sticker. ASAE publishes press releases and yearly results of its operations, not a score for each restaurant.

Are inspections announced?

We could not confirm an official rule on notice, so we do not say. Ask ASAE.

What happens if I break the hygiene rules?

It is a serious economic offence (Decreto-Lei 9/2021) and can bring a fine and, for serious breaches, closure. We did not read fine amounts on an official page.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

Yes. ASAE says records can be on paper or digital.

How long must I keep my records?

Decreto-Lei 113/2006 says documents must be kept for the time legally considered adequate. We could not confirm a fixed period for food safety records. Fire safety records must be kept 10 years.

What temperature must my fridge be?

Portuguese law sets no number. ASAE guidance is 0 to 5°C for chilled food; the AHRESP code says 0 to 4°C.

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

No law sets one. ASAE guidance is 60°C or hotter; the AHRESP code says 65°C or hotter.

What temperature should I cook food to?

Portuguese law sets no cooking temperature. The AHRESP code says 65°C in the centre.

What about frying oil?

It is law: never above 180°C, and oil with more than 25% polar compounds may not be used (Portaria 1135/95).

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

No law requires one. Training must suit the job and be updated when needed.

What allergen information do I need?

The 14 EU allergens, on a medium the customer can easily take in, such as a menu, board, sheet or screen, in Portuguese (Decreto-Lei 26/2016).

Does the allergen rule apply to phone and app orders?

Yes. Give allergen information before the order is completed and again at delivery (Decreto-Lei 26/2016, article 8).

Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with a disease carried by food, infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea. They must tell the manager at once.

Do I need a complaints book?

Yes: the paper book and the electronic book, plus a visible notice. Keep closed books for 3 years.

Do I need to register a food van?

Mobile and non-fixed food businesses have their own route on gov.pt. Ask your town council for the mainland steps.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Portugal?

€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 Portuguese food safety records ready for every inspection: