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Netherlands: for restaurants and takeaways

Ready for the food inspection. Every day.

In the European Netherlands, Chef Hygiene follows the Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen, EU Regulation 852/2004 and the KHN Hygiënecode voor de Horeca; the NVWA inspects.

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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

Netherlands: food hygiene rules

Inspection body
Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, NVWA)
Public rating
Yes
Languages in the app
Nederlands, English

Your inspection

The NVWA inspects restaurants and takeaways for food safety. The municipality (gemeente) handles permits, the alcohol licence and local fire safety enforcement.

Visits are unannounced and based on risk. You must let the inspector in. A medium breach brings an official warning, and in hospitality a second one is followed by an administrative fine. A serious breach brings a fine at once and a re-inspection. Three or more serious breaches in 2 years mean verscherpt toezicht (stricter supervision), and the NVWA can then close the business.

Hygiene rating

Yes, but there is no sticker. The NVWA publishes every result online under the Gezondheidswet, art. 44: Voldoet, Verbeterpunten vastgesteld, Verscherpt toezicht or Geen recente gegevens. A result stays online for at most 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

  • LawChilled food: 7°C or colder, measured in the food, in storage and in transport (Warenwetbesluit, art. 15(1)). A colder temperature on the label wins.
  • Official guidanceChef Hygiene aims for a fridge setting of 4°C, as KHN and the Voedingscentrum advise. This is advice, not a legal limit.
  • Official guidanceFrozen food: −18°C or colder (NVWA and the hygiene code).
  • LawHot food kept for direct sale: 60°C or hotter (art. 15(2)).
  • Official guidanceCooking: 75°C or hotter in the centre (NVWA and the hygiene code).
  • Official guidanceCooling: the law says only “as fast as possible” (Regulation 852/2004). The hygiene code starts at 75°C or hotter. It gives 20°C or colder after 2 hours as a guide value, and 7°C or colder within 5 hours as the norm.
  • Official guidanceReheating: 60°C or hotter in the centre (NVWA), within 60 minutes (hygiene code).
  • LawIn restaurants, chilled food may stand out of the fridge once, for at most 2 hours, and is then thrown away. You need a written procedure and a log, kept for 1 year.
  • Official guidanceThaw food in the fridge or under cold running water (NVWA).

Staff, training and health

  • LawDutch law sets no food hygiene certificate, number of hours or renewal. Staff must be supervised and instructed to suit their work (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII).
  • Official guidanceStaff must know the hygiene code, and the owner may instruct them. The NVWA checks staff knowledge during inspections.
  • LawA person with a disease carried by food, infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea must not handle food. They must report it at once (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter VIII).
  • Official guidanceFor norovirus, RIVM advises staff to return to their own work no earlier than 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea stops.
  • LawWith one or more employees you must appoint a BHV’er for first aid, fire fighting and evacuation (Arbowet, art. 15).
  • LawManagers on an alcohol licence must be 21 or older and hold the Verklaring Sociale Hygiëne (Alcoholwet, art. 8).

Allergens

  • LawThe 14 EU allergens must be declared: gluten cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs (Regulation 1169/2011).
  • LawWritten method: a clearly visible notice where the food is sold says where the allergen information is. The information is available in writing or electronically (Warenwetregeling allergeneninformatie, art. 2).
  • LawVerbal method (art. 3): staff can always give correct information before the sale. The written version is available to staff and the NVWA. A visible notice asks guests to ask staff.

Fire safety checks

  • LawRequired fire extinguishers and hose reels: maintenance with a function check at least every 2 years (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, Bbl, art. 6.35). Insurers often ask for a yearly service.
  • LawTell the municipality at least 4 weeks before opening if more than 50 people will be inside (Bbl, art. 6.6 to 6.7).
  • Official guidanceHood and duct cleaning has no legal interval. KHN advises at least once a year, and every 6 months with heavy grill, fryer or wok use. The municipality can ban cooking if a duct is dirty.
  • Official guidanceGas appliances have no legal inspection interval for kitchens. The Arboportaal advises a check once a year as a safe minimum.
  • Official guidanceThe electrical installation has no legal interval (Arbobesluit, art. 3.4). Insurers usually ask for a NEN 3140 inspection every 3 to 5 years.

Records

  • LawYou need your own HACCP plan (Regulation 852/2004, art. 5) or an approved hygiene code. If you use the Hygiënecode voor de Horeca, you must follow it (Warenwetbesluit hygiëne van levensmiddelen, art. 5(2)).
  • Official guidanceThe code’s model forms ask for fridge and freezer displays daily and a probe check weekly, deliveries weekly per supplier, and cooking, cooling, hot holding and reheating weekly.
  • Official guidanceKHN advises keeping the code’s records for at least 6 months.
  • LawLogs of chilled food kept out of the fridge must be kept for at least 1 year (Warenwetregeling Vrijstelling gekoeld bewaren, art. 1).

Official sources

Checked

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

Netherlands: 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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