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Czechia: for restaurants and takeaways

Ready for the food inspection. Every day.

Chef Hygiene follows the Czech Food Act (110/1997), the catering decree 121/2023 and the guidance hosted by SZPI, which inspects almost all restaurants and cafés.

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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

Czechia: food hygiene rules

Inspection body
Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (Státní zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce, SZPI)
Public rating
No
Languages in the app
Čeština, English

Your inspection

SZPI (the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, under the Ministry of Agriculture) inspects all open catering since 1 January 2025: restaurants, cafés, fast food, pubs, bars and delivery. The regional hygiene stations (KHS) keep only hospital, care, school and prison catering and children’s camps.

A visit can start with no notice: it begins when the inspector shows the authorisation on the spot. On the spot the inspector can order faults to be fixed, ban the use of the premises (closure) and have unsafe food destroyed. A failed re-check is paid by the operator. Fines go up to CZK 1, 3, 10 or 50 million, depending on the offence group (Food Act, § 17f).

Hygiene rating

There is no public rating, sticker or duty to show a result at the door. SZPI’s site potravinynapranyri.cz only lists premises it has closed (zákaz užívání prostor).

“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

  • LawChilled dishes: 0 to 4°C (decree 121/2023, § 3). Cold cakes and delicatessen dishes may be kept at 8°C at most.
  • Official guidanceRaw meat limits at delivery, as in EU Regulation 853/2004: poultry 4°C, other meat 7°C, offal 3°C, mince 0 to 2°C. Fresh fish on melting ice (SZPI guidance).
  • LawFrozen dishes: −18°C or colder (decree 121/2023, § 3).
  • Official guidanceCooking: 75°C in the core for 5 minutes (SZPI handbook, an old guide).
  • LawHot dishes: at least 60°C until served, within the serve-by time you set in your HACCP plan. After that time the food must not be stored, reheated, cooled or frozen (decree 121/2023, § 3; decree 137/2004, § 25).
  • Official guidanceCooling: from 60°C to 10°C within 2 hours, then 4°C at once (guidance). The law says as fast as possible.
  • Chef Hygiene defaultReheating: the SZPI handbook says 70°C in all parts within 60 minutes. The Codex code says 75°C in the centre within 1 hour. Chef Hygiene checks against 75°C.
  • LawFrying: oil at 180°C at most, and chips below 175°C. Throw away oil with signs of breakdown, such as polar compounds over 25 % or a burnt smell (decree 121/2023).
  • Official guidanceHot food sent out: 60°C at hand-over, delivered within 1 hour, and 2 hours at most. Label it with the hour it should be eaten (guidance; Food Act labelling duty).

Staff, training and health

  • LawThere is no food hygiene certificate, set hours or renewal for kitchen staff. Anyone in contact with food needs the knowledge to protect public health (Act 258/2000, § 19). The hygiene authority may test them.
  • LawIf the authority tests someone and finds the knowledge missing, that person may not work until passing an oral exam.
  • LawThe health card (zdravotní průkaz) ended on 1 July 2023. Medical checks are needed only where a decree or the authority orders them.
  • LawStaff with a disease food can carry, infected wounds, skin infections or diarrhoea must not handle food and must report it at once (EU Regulation 852/2004, annex II chapter VIII).

Allergens

  • LawThe 14 EU allergens must always be given in writing for food that is not prepacked. Speaking alone is not enough (Food Act, § 9a; decree 417/2016, § 7).
  • LawThere are four written ways: allergens in the dish description, number or letter codes explained in the menu, a screen, or the notice “Informaci o výskytu konkrétních alergenů v pokrmu žádejte u obsluhy.” followed by staff giving the exact allergens.
  • LawGuests must also see the dish name and the portion size. For online or phone orders, give the allergen information before the order is completed and again at delivery. It must be in Czech.

Fire safety checks

  • LawFire extinguishers: a check every 12 months and after use. A pressure test is needed every 3 years for water and foam, and every 5 years for the others (decree 246/2001, § 9).
  • LawPreventive fire inspection: every 12 months, or every 6 months at elevated risk, written in the fire book (decree 246/2001, § 13).
  • LawGas: a check every 12 months and a revision by a revision technician every 36 months. Keep the papers 10 years (Government Regulation 191/2022, § 19).
  • LawElectrics: a revision by a revision technician. The term is 24 months if the building allows over 200 people, and 12 months for wet rooms (Government Regulation 190/2022).

Records

  • LawHACCP is required (EU Regulation 852/2004, article 5). Critical points are recorded in writing or electronically (decree 137/2004, § 38).
  • LawKeep monitoring records, limit breaches and corrective actions for 14 days from the production date of the dish.
  • LawKeep records of system changes and verification results for 1 year (decree 137/2004, § 38).

Official sources

Checked

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

Czechia: 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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