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Hungary: for restaurants and takeaways

Ready for the food inspection. Every day.

In Hungary the app follows the EU hygiene rules, Decree 62/2011 (VM) and Nébih’s catering hygiene guide; county and district government offices inspect, directed by NKFH.

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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

Hungary: food hygiene rules

Inspection body
National Trade and Consumer Protection Authority (Nemzeti Kereskedelmi és Fogyasztóvédelmi Hatóság, NKFH)
Public rating
No
Languages in the app
Magyar, English

Your inspection

The county (vármegyei) government offices and their district offices (járási hivatal) inspect restaurants on site. NKFH directs this food-trade control and plans the yearly programme. Nébih keeps the food business register (FELIR), the hygiene guide and the list of risky firms.

Under the Food Chain Act (Éltv., Act 2008/XLVI) a fine starts at HUF 15,000. An on-the-spot fine is HUF 25,000 to 200,000. The authority can suspend a business for up to 1 year or ban it for up to 3 years, and a notice must hang on the premises meanwhile. The business pays for samples that fail. Fire, public-health, labour and tax offices also check premises.

Hygiene rating

There is no rating or sticker for ordinary restaurants. Nébih has a voluntary quality rating from jeles (5, 90 to 100%) to elégtelen (1, under 60%), compulsory only for public canteens. Serious breaches are published by name on Nébih’s risky-firm list for 2 years.

“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 guidanceChilled prepared food: 0 to +5°C, covered. Nébih’s catering guide gives this; there is no legal fridge limit for restaurants.
  • Official guidanceRaw goods in the fridge, at most: red meat 7°C, poultry 4°C, offal 3°C, minced meat 2°C. Fresh fish is kept near melting ice (Nébih’s guide).
  • LawYour own freezing: −18°C or colder, and never warmer in storage (Decree 62/2011 (VM), annex 3).
  • Official guidanceCooking: 72°C in the core for 2 minutes, or 75°C at every point. Decree 62/2011 (VM) defines this “safe heat treatment” and requires it for public catering and food sent to events; Nébih’s guide uses it for restaurants.
  • Official guidanceHot holding: +63°C or hotter. Without hot holding, serve within 3 hours of making. Food kept 3 hours at an uncertain temperature is thrown away (Nébih’s guide).
  • Official guidanceCooling: start within 30 minutes of cooking and reach below +10°C within the next 90 minutes (2 hours in all). Then keep it at 0 to +5°C (Nébih’s guide).
  • Official guidanceReheating: 72°C in the core for 2 minutes, or 75°C at every point, and only once (Nébih’s guide).
  • Official guidanceChilled food on an unchilled buffet: 2 hours at most. Leftovers from service are never offered again (Nébih’s guide; Decree 62/2011 (VM) § 16).

Staff, training and health

  • LawThere is no hygiene certificate and no set training hours. Each new worker must be trained within 1 month of starting, and the business documents it (Decree 68/2007).
  • LawEveryone who makes or sells food needs a medical exam before starting, a signed health statement and a health booklet. The exam is repeated every year (Decree 33/1998 (NM)).
  • LawNobody with a food-borne illness, infected wound, skin infection or diarrhoea may work with food. They must report it at once (EU Regulation 852/2004).
  • LawA responsible food-safety person must be able to act at once during all opening hours. Micro firms need this person on site within 2 hours (Éltv. § 22).
  • Official guidanceA worker comes back after illness with a doctor’s note (Nébih’s guide and NKFH’s guide).

Allergens

  • LawGuests must be told about the 14 EU allergens in food that is not prepacked, before they order and free of charge. This includes online orders (Decree 36/2014 (FM)).
  • LawWritten information is a sheet, menu or screen where the food is offered, with a sign that points guests to it.
  • LawOral information is allowed only if a trained responsible person is always present, a visible notice says guests can ask, and a written internal procedure names that person and shows allergen training.
  • LawThe information must be in Hungarian. If fresh meat was frozen before, you must say so.

Fire safety checks

  • LawThe keeper checks each fire extinguisher at least every 3 months. A registered maintenance firm services it at the intervals in the OTSZ annex. Keep a fire-safety operating log (tűzvédelmi üzemeltetési napló) (OTSZ, Decree 54/2014 (BM) §§ 263–264).
  • LawA hot kitchen’s ventilation and odour extraction are cleaned at the maker’s interval, otherwise at least once a year, with written proof (OTSZ § 196).
  • LawThe electrical installation gets a fire-safety review at least every 6 years, or every 3 years if you store over 300 kg or 300 litres of highly flammable material (OTSZ § 277).
  • LawThe residual-current switch (RCD) is function-tested every 3 months. Hand tools and portable transformers are checked every year (Decree 10/2016 (NGM) § 19).

Records

  • LawHACCP-based procedures are required (EU Regulation 852/2004). Paper and digital records are both accepted.
  • LawKeep the self-check records at the premises for at least 2 years. Micro and small firms may use paper or electronic records; larger firms must use electronic ones (Decree 28/2017 (FM) § 4).
  • LawPublic canteens and kitchens making over 29 portions a day keep a recipe record with allergens for 90 days after the dish ends (Decree 62/2011 (VM)).
  • LawPublic and event catering over 29 portions a day keeps a 100 g sample of each dish for 72 hours at 0 to +5°C (Decree 62/2011 (VM)).

Official sources

Checked

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

Hungary: 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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