Food retail, mandatory reporting / registration

If you, as the operator of a food business, carry out activities related to the production, processing, storage and distribution of food, you must register with your local food monitoring authority.

Under European law, food business operators are obliged to register if they are not yet registered with the competent authority. Registration takes place with the competent food monitoring authorities of the districts and independent cities.

In addition to registration prior to commencement of activities, the following significant changes must also be reported.

• the closure of the business or
• change in the personal or address details of the food business operator,
• Change of name or address of business premises
• Change in the type of business / activity
• Expansion of the product range

The notification should be submitted within one month of the change occurring.

This applies to every establishment managed or operated by you. All businesses that produce, process, store or distribute food directly or via the internet are subject to registration, regardless of whether they are profit-oriented or not.

Food businesses are for example (list is not exhaustive):

• restaurants, snack bars, kiosks
• artisanal and industrial producers (e.g. bakers, confectioners, butchers)
• Agricultural businesses and winegrowers
• Businesses that only sell food as an incidental part of their product range, such as petrol stations, pharmacies, drugstores and fitness studios that sell food, nutritional supplements or dietary foods as part of their product range
• Businesses that distribute food free of charge, such as food banks
• Businesses that act purely as brokers
• Schools, kindergartens, retirement homes, clubhouses that regularly provide food (refectory, canteen)
• Entrepreneurs who offer food on the Internet. It does not matter whether they sell the food
  • on their own homepage,
  • via other suppliers or
  • on marketplaces such as eBay or Amazon.
• Supermarkets, mini-markets
• Operators of food vending machines
• Producers of food of animal origin
• Fishing, crustacean, shellfish and mollusc businesses
• Wholesalers, transporters, importers and exporters of foodstuffs
• Mobile food trade including sales vehicles
• Primary producers of plant-based foods, such as fruit, vegetables, cereals and herbs
• Party service and catering

Food inspection authority of the district or city.

• Name and address of the business premises and, if applicable, other business premises, the legal form
• Personal and contact details of the responsible food business operator
• Type of business / activity
• Information on the product range (product groups) and scope

If possible, please use the form provided for this purpose.

• Forms: yes
• Written form required: yes
• Personal appearance on site for application: no
• Online service: no

You have a business that produces, processes or distributes food.

Your business is not yet registered with the competent authority or there have been the above-mentioned changes to the working procedures, conversions or a change of food business operator to the information or data already recorded or you wish to deregister your food business.

• Use the form that may be available and send it to the competent food control authority.
• In any case, the required information on the food business must be submitted to the food control authority for registration before the start of operations; in case of doubt, send the required information in writing to the competent food control authority.
• The competent food monitoring authority records the operating data.
• If there are any changes to the information or data already recorded, as described above, or if you wish to deregister your food business, please also contact the competent food monitoring authority.

• The data and registration details must be reported before commencing work.
• Significant changes to the work process or modifications must be reported immediately.

There are no fees for registration by the food control authorities: Fee free of charge

Food" does not include:

• animal feed,
• live animals, unless they have been prepared for placing on the market for human consumption

have been prepared for human consumption,

• plants before harvesting,
• medicinal products,
• cosmetic products,
• tobacco and tobacco products,
• narcotics and psychotropic substances,

What obligations do I have as a food business operator?

The food business operator is responsible for complying with all food regulations. They are responsible for ensuring that the food they produce and/or distribute is safe (duty of care).

Further priority obligations of a food business operator can be found in the information provided by the European Commission at the following link: