Food hygiene in Greece: implementing Reg. (EC) 852/2004

This page is the hub for Greece's implementation of Reg. (EC) 852/2004. It gives the overall picture and links to the detail pages and the other jurisdictions covered in the countries pillar.

The division of powers

In Greece the regulation is directly applicable and the State organises its implementation. The coordination of official food controls is entrusted to EFET (Ενιαίος Φορέας Ελέγχου Τροφίμων / Hellenic Food Authority), operating under the Ministry of Rural Development and Food; regional and veterinary services are also involved for establishments handling products of animal origin. In our view what most sharply sets the Greek case apart is not the arrangement of the authorities so much as the fact that the national level has organised, through EFET, a structured food-handler training framework: whereas in Spain the actual counterpart depends on the Autonomous Community, in Italy on the regional health authorities, and in the Netherlands training is left entirely to the operator's discretion, Greece has a national programme to refer to.

Registration and approval

Reg. 852/2004 requires every food business operator to notify each establishment to the competent authority for registration Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. In Greece most businesses — bars, restaurants, retail shops — are subject only to registration with the competent authority, while EFET coordinates official controls across the territory. Establishments handling products of animal origin (slaughterhouses, cutting plants, dairies, fishery-product establishments) may instead be subject to approval under Reg. (EC) 853/2004 Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004: an express decision that verifies the requirements before start-up, with the involvement of the veterinary services. The difference between the two is explained in the concept registration vs approval.

Self-checking, training and the national framework

Every food business must put in place self-checking procedures based on HACCP principles Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and ensure the training of staff who handle food Annex II, Chapter XII, point 1 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. The Greek specificity is that, alongside the EU obligation, the national level has organised through EFET a national food-hygiene training programme for food-business personnel. The regulation itself requires that any national-law training requirements for people working in certain food sectors be complied with Annex II, Chapter XII, point 3 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004: the Greek framework is the implementation of this. The business must still ensure that staff receive training appropriate to their role, with responsibility for self-checking remaining with the operator Article 5(5) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. The operational picture — the scope, content and current arrangements of the programme — should be checked on the official EFET portal, bearing in mind the last-verified date of this page. The detail is covered in HACCP training in Greece.

Official controls and competent authorities

Official controls are organised under Reg. (EU) 2017/625 Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, which repealed the earlier Reg. (EC) 854/2004 and 882/2004. In Greece EFET coordinates official food controls; administrative measures and fines are provided for under national food law and applied within the framework coordinated by EFET. For a comparison between the Greek model and the other national arrangements, see the countries pages and the country-comparison tool.