Food Safety Records in Romania: Laws, DSVSA, DSP and ANPC Checks

Romanian food safety records explained: the law, DSVSA, DSP and ANPC checks, the records inspectors ask for, common failures and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Romania need food safety records? Yes. Every food business must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles (EU Regulation 852/2004, Article 5), and fridge temperatures must be recorded (Order 976/1998, art. 11). Three bodies can check you: the county food safety office (DSVSA), the county public health directorate (DSP) and the consumer authority (ANPC). Romania has no public hygiene rating or sticker. This page explains the Romanian 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 or an official guide, linked in the text and at the end. Where the law sets no number and a number comes from a guide, we say so. Where we could not read the official text, we say that too. Rules can change, so check with your authority.

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

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

The main laws. EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene applies directly. Romania adds its own hygiene norms in Order 976/1998 of the Ministry of Health. Staff health is covered by Government Decision 355/2007, and the hygiene course by Order 2209/4469/2022.
Register with the county DSVSA. Each restaurant must be registered with its county DSVSA, the local office of the national authority ANSVSA. The ANPC guide for public catering names ANSVSA Order 111/2008 as the registration procedure. We could not read the order itself on an official page, so ask your DSVSA for the current steps and any fee (ANSVSA).
A HACCP-based system. You need permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size of the business (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). Fridge temperatures must be recorded (Order 976/1998, art. 11).
Temperatures: law and guidance. The numbers in Romanian law are few. Guide numbers are labelled as guidance:
Cold finished dishes: 8°C or colder until served (Order 976/1998, art. 37 c). This is only for cold prepared dishes.
Raw meat: 4°C or colder, in its own fridge compartment where one store room is used (art. 38 b).
Hot dishes: 60°C or hotter until served (art. 37 c).
Quick-frozen food: -18°C or colder, with short rises of up to 3°C in transport and display (Order ANSVSA 134/2010).
Cooling: the law only says to cool food as quickly as possible. Guidance (ANBCT chefs' guide): to 10 to 15°C within 90 minutes, then below 7°C within a further 150 minutes.
Cooking and reheating: guidance only. At least 75°C before hot holding. Reheat once, to 72°C at the centre with at least 2 minutes of even boiling.
Deliveries: Romanian law gives no number, so the temperature on the label applies.
Group meals: for organised groups, such as tourists or events, keep a sample of each dish for 48 hours at 4°C in a separate fridge (Order 976/1998, art. 37 e).
Staff hygiene course. The county DSP issues a certificate after an exam of 30 questions with a 60% pass mark. It is valid 3 years, then a new course and exam are needed. Staff take Level II (at least 10 hours including a test). Managers take Level I (12 hours) (Order 2209/4469/2022).
Medical checks. Everyone who touches unpackaged food has a doctor's exam, a stool culture and a parasite test when hired. After that: a doctor's exam every 6 months, and the two tests every year. The fitness sheet says "apt lucru în sector alimentar" (Government Decision 355/2007). The employer pays.
Staff who are ill. Anyone with fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, tonsillitis, boils, hand wounds, skin infections or pus goes to a doctor and returns only with the doctor's written note (Government Decision 355/2007).
Pest control. Insect control at least every 3 months and rodent control at least every 6 months, by a certified firm, with a signed report of each visit (Order 119/2014).
Allergens. The 14 EU allergens must be given in writing for food sold unpacked, at the point of sale, visible, easy to read and indelible. The rule is ANPC Order 163/2021. We could not read the text of that order on an official page, so confirm the details with ANPC. For online orders, show the information before payment and on the delivery label. A QR code to the full menu is allowed if a printed copy is on site.
Menus. ANPC Order 201/2022 (in force from 15 March 2023), art. 3: catering units give the type and quantity of compound ingredients over 20 g, the nutrition declaration (energy, fat, saturates, sugars, salt) and additives, at the place of sale and on a visible, indelible panel or menu. This article does not itself mention allergens.
Language. Public texts such as menus and signs need a Romanian version (Law 500/2004). Other languages may be added.
Traceability. Keep supplier records so food can be traced one step back and one step forward (Regulation 178/2002, Article 18).

2. Who inspects you, and how often

DSVSA (ANSVSA). The county food safety office checks food safety and holds the register of restaurants.
DSP (Ministry of Health). The county public health directorate checks hygiene under Order 976/1998, staff medical fitness sheets and hygiene course certificates.
ANPC. The consumer authority checks menus, allergen information and prices (ANPC guide for public catering, 2024).
Risk-based. Visits depend on risk. We could not find an official fixed visit schedule, so we do not give one.
What can happen. Activity can be suspended or banned. Fines come under Government Decisions 984/2005 (food safety) and 857/2011 (public health). We did not read the amounts on an official page, so we give none.

3. No public rating

No rating. Romania has no public hygiene rating, score or sticker for restaurants.
Lists of banned units. The only published results are the lists, on each DSVSA website, of units whose activity was banned.
What this means for you. There is no score to improve, but a ban is public. Good records show an inspector that your system works every day.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit your business. In practice, inspectors in Romania look for:

Fridge temperature records (a legal duty, Order 976/1998, art. 11).
HACCP monitoring and what you did when something was wrong.
Hygiene course certificates for each staff member, still valid.
Medical fitness sheets for each staff member.
Pest-control reports, signed after each visit.
Cleaning records.
Supplier and delivery records for traceability.
Allergen information for every unpacked dish, and menus with the details ANPC asks for.
Group-meal samples, if you serve organised groups.

How long to keep them. We could not find a national retention period in the official texts, so we do not give one. Ask your DSVSA.

5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Days with no fridge readings written down.
No action recorded. A cold dish above 8°C with nothing written about what was done.
Expired certificates. A hygiene certificate older than 3 years, or a missing 6-month medical check.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Pest reports missing. No signed report for the last visit.
Allergens only by word of mouth. The rule is for written information.
Menus without the required details. ANPC checks compound ingredients, nutrition and additives.
Not registered with the DSVSA.

6. By type of business

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

Restaurant: DSVSA registration, daily fridge and hot-holding checks, cooling, deliveries, cleaning, written allergen information, and a menu with the ANPC details.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information before payment and on the delivery label for online orders.
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and written allergen information for sandwiches and cakes.
Bakery / cake shop: written allergen records for every unpacked product and display temperatures for cream cakes.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures (frozen food at -18°C or colder) and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for the food you serve.
Community hall / venue: if you serve food as a business, ask your DSVSA about registration; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for unpacked food.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records, staff certificates and medical sheets, and careful allergen records for every child. We could not confirm special national rules for these kitchens.
Caterer / food van: ask your DSVSA about registration for vehicles; keep temperatures during transport and at the event. Keep a 48-hour sample for group meals (Order 976/1998, art. 37 e).
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a separate national rule. Ask your DSVSA, and keep the same kind of records.

7. Why digital records help in Romania

Accepted in the EU. The European Commission's guidance on HACCP flexibility (notice 2022/C 355/01) supports records in the form that suits the business. We could not find a Romanian page that says the same, so ask your inspector if you are unsure.
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 three inspectors. Show fridge records, certificates and allergen information at once.
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 Romanian rules, including Order 976/1998. 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 Order 976/1998 numbers for cold and hot dishes.
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 the likely result 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 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 Romanian, and staff 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 lei 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 Romania?

Yes. You need procedures based on HACCP principles (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5), and fridge temperatures must be recorded (Order 976/1998, art. 11).

Who inspects restaurants in Romania?

Three bodies: the county DSVSA (food safety), the county DSP (hygiene, medical checks, course certificates) and ANPC (menus, allergens, prices).

Do I have to register my restaurant?

Yes. Each restaurant must be registered with its county DSVSA. Ask your DSVSA for the current steps and any fee.

Is there a hygiene rating in Romania?

No. There is no public rating or sticker. Each DSVSA publishes lists of units whose activity was banned.

Are inspections announced?

We could not confirm an official rule. Visits are risk-based, so plan to be ready at all times.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

EU guidance supports records in a form that suits the business. We could not find a Romanian page that says so directly, so ask your inspector if you are unsure.

How long must I keep my records?

We could not find a national period in the official texts. Ask your DSVSA.

What temperature must cold dishes be kept at?

8°C or colder until served. This is only for cold prepared dishes (Order 976/1998, art. 37 c).

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

60°C or hotter until served (Order 976/1998, art. 37 c).

What temperature must raw meat be stored at?

4°C or colder, in its own compartment where one store room is used (art. 38 b).

What temperature must frozen food be?

-18°C or colder, with short rises of up to 3°C in transport and display (Order ANSVSA 134/2010).

Do my staff need a hygiene certificate?

Yes. The DSP issues it after an exam, and it is valid 3 years. Staff take Level II (at least 10 hours), managers Level I (12 hours).

How often do staff need medical checks?

A doctor's exam every 6 months and a stool culture and parasite test every year (Government Decision 355/2007).

Can staff work when they are ill?

Not with fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, tonsillitis, boils, hand wounds, skin infections or pus. They return only with a doctor's written note.

How often must pest control visit?

Insects at least every 3 months and rodents at least every 6 months, by a certified firm, with a signed report (Order 119/2014).

What allergen information do I need?

The 14 EU allergens, in writing for unpacked food, visible, easy to read and indelible (ANPC Order 163/2021). We could not read the order text on an official page, so confirm the details with ANPC.

What must a restaurant menu show?

Under ANPC Order 201/2022, art. 3: compound ingredients over 20 g, the nutrition declaration and additives. A QR code is allowed if a printed copy is on site.

Does the menu have to be in Romanian?

Public texts need a Romanian version (Law 500/2004). Other languages may be added.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Romania?

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

12. Official sources

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