Portugal: food inspections

In Portugal, Chef Hygiene follows EU Regulation 852/2004, Decreto-Lei 113/2006, ASAE’s official guidance and the AHRESP code of good practice; ASAE inspects on the mainland, IRAE in the Azores and ARAE in Madeira.

Inspection body

Food and Economic Safety Authority (Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica, ASAE)

ASAE inspects restaurants and food businesses on the mainland. In the Azores the regional inspector is IRAE (Inspeção Regional das Atividades Económicas). In Madeira it is ARAE (Autoridade Regional das Atividades Económicas). DGAV is the national authority for food information.

Inspections are risk-based. Hygiene breaches are serious economic offences (contraordenações económicas graves) under Decreto-Lei 9/2021 and bring a fine (coima). Serious breaches can lead to closure (encerramento).

Hygiene rating

No. Portugal has no public hygiene rating or sticker. ASAE publishes press releases and yearly results of its operations, not a score for each restaurant.