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Cyprus: for restaurants and takeaways

Ready for the food inspection. Every day.

In the Republic of Cyprus the app follows EU Regulation 852/2004, the Hygiene Regulations (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006) and the Public Health Services hygiene guides; the Public Health Services inspect, and there is no public rating.

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The Chef Hygiene app on a computer: the home screen of a kitchen with its daily checksThe Chef Hygiene app on a phone: the home screen of a kitchen with its daily checks

Cyprus: food hygiene rules

Inspection body
Public Health Services of the Ministry of Health (Υγειονομικές Υπηρεσίες)
Public rating
No
Languages in the app
Ελληνικά, English

Your inspection

The Public Health Services (Υγειονομικές Υπηρεσίες) of the Ministry of Health inspect restaurants through five district offices. Some municipal health services may inspect in their own area under Law 54(I)/1996. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism licenses restaurants under Law 29/1985, and its officers also check cleanliness.

Inspections are risk-based. Eleven risk factors give a category from 1 to 4, and the category is the number of full inspections a year. Seasonal businesses get fewer. The inspector can give written instructions, take samples, seize food, and suspend a business for up to 4 days, renewable. Administrative fines can reach €854 a day, and a court can fine, close the premises and ban trading (Law 54(I)/1996). You can object to a suspension or seizure within 3 working days.

Hygiene rating

Cyprus has no public hygiene rating, grade or sticker, and nothing has to be displayed. The Tourism classes A, B and C describe the building and service, not hygiene.

“Law” is a binding rule. “Official guidance” is not law, but inspectors expect it. “Chef Hygiene default” is a value the app checks against where no rule gives a number.

Temperatures

  • Official guidanceNo Cyprus law sets fridge, hot-holding, cooling or reheating numbers for restaurants. The numbers below come from the Public Health Services Hygiene Guide No 1 (2nd edition) and its HACCP plan for small businesses.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: chilled food, and raw meat, poultry and fish, at 5°C or below. The small-business plan sets a critical limit of 7°C. Chef Hygiene aims for 5°C and warns above 7°C. Cakes and pastries: 8°C at most.
  • LawQuick-frozen food must be at −18°C or colder. Brief rises of up to 3°C are allowed in transport and display (Κ.Δ.Π. 80/2002, reg. 6). Guide: never refreeze; ice cream on display at −14°C or colder.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: cook to 75°C in the centre, or 70°C for 2 minutes. Pork and burgers: 68,3°C for 15 seconds. Frying oil never above 180°C.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: keep hot food at 60°C or more. Below 60°C is allowed once, for serving only. The small-business plan says above 63°C.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1 for food between 5°C and 60°C: under 2 hours, chill it or eat it. From 2 to 4 hours, eat it at once. Over 4 hours, throw it away.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: cool from 60°C to 10°C within 2 hours, never over 3 hours, then keep at 5°C or below.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: reheat to above 75°C in the centre. No time limit is given.
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: thaw in the fridge at 5°C or below, or under running drinking water at 21°C or below for at most 3 hours.

Staff, training and health

  • LawEveryone who touches open food needs a health certificate from a government Chief Medical Officer, renewed every 12 months. It includes a stool test for Salmonella and parasites (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006). Keep it ready for inspectors.
  • LawStaff who are ill tell the manager, and the manager tells the district Chief Medical Officer at once. They return to work only when that officer decides. There is no fixed number of days off (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006).
  • LawStaff who handle open food keep themselves clean, cover wounds with a waterproof dressing, do not smoke or spit, and wear a white coat and a head covering (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006).
  • Official guidanceGuide No 1: all staff do Level 1 at hiring (read the Ministry’s hygiene handbook and sign a statement). Owners, managers and staff who prepare food do Level 2, a 30-hour course. No legal course or renewal is set.
  • LawStaff must be supervised and trained to suit their job (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II).

Allergens

  • LawGive information on the 14 EU allergens for food served or sold loose (Regulation 1169/2011, art. 44).
  • Official guidancePublic Health Services: loose food gives the information through labelling, and the minimum is the allergenic ingredients. Chef Hygiene asks for a written list per dish and an “ask staff” sign.
  • LawAll food information must be in Greek. Other languages may be added (Κ.Δ.Π. 262/2002, reg. 5).
  • LawFor phone and online orders, give the information before ordering and again at delivery, in Greek (Regulation 1169/2011, art. 14).

Fire safety checks

  • Official guidanceExtinguishers: the owner checks at least every 3 months and writes it down. A qualified firm services them every year (Κ.Δ.Π. 520/2014 code of practice).
  • LawLPG installations must be inspected by an approved gas installation inspector: every 6 years for 4 or more linked cylinders or up to 500 kg, every 5 years for 500 to 2,000 kg or food trucks, every 4 years above 2,000 kg or for tanks (Κ.Δ.Π. 189/2021). Storage of up to 200 kg and one cylinder joined straight to one appliance are exempt.
  • LawThe employer must have an emergency plan and name, train and record staff for first aid, fire fighting and evacuation. Fire equipment and alarms are tested by a competent person.
  • LawElectrical installations over 150 kVA need a registered maintainer and a register (Κ.Δ.Π. 78/2022). No fixed interval was found for smaller sites. No legal hood cleaning interval was found.

Records

  • LawHACCP-based procedures with records that fit the size of the business are required (Regulation 852/2004, art. 5).
  • Official guidancePublic Health Services small-business plan: keep records of suppliers and goods-in, fridge and freezer temperatures (2–3 times a day), cooking and reheating, hot and cold display, water and ice tests, staff health certificates, cleaning, pest control with a bait map, equipment upkeep and staff training. Review the plan 1–2 times a year.
  • LawPest control by a licensed operator is required for professional biocide work (Κ.Δ.Π. 145/2019). Keep records and a bait map.

Official sources

Checked

This page is general information, not legal advice. Check with your local authority.

Cyprus: the Chef Hygiene app

The app loads these rules for your kitchen, checks your records against them and keeps proof for the inspector.

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