Notifications and permits for food premises, primary production, and contact material operations

Before starting a food business, primary production, or food contact material activity in the Hämeenlinna or Hattula area, you must generally submit a food premises notification or an application to Hämeenlinna Food Control.

Food premises notifications and permits

Submit a notification to food control at least four weeks before

• starting operations
• making a substantial change to operations

A substantial change means a change that increases food safety risks. Such a change may be, for example, starting service counter operations in a food store or starting food imports.

For more information on establishing, for example, a food store, café, restaurant, or online food shop, visit the Finnish Food Authority website: Establishment instructions by sector – Finnish Food Authority

How do I submit a food premises notification?

Primary production notifications

Submit a registration notification for your primary production site located in the Hämeenlinna or Hattula area and any direct supply of primary production products to consumers to Hämeenlinna Food Supervision using the form below.

Processing a registered primary production notification is free.

Examples of primary production include

• milk and egg production,
• vegetable cultivation,
• grain and mushroom cultivation,
• animal husbandry for meat production,
• honey production, and
• fishing.
• transport of primary production products from the primary production site
• low-risk direct sales of primary production products to consumers at the primary production site and outside the primary production site, such as at a market.

A primary production notification does not need to be submitted for picking wild plants and mushrooms, even if the intention is to sell these products for consumption.

A primary production notification does not need to be submitted for hunting. If you intend to sell wild game meat, see more information below under Selling Wild Game.

If necessary, contact:

health inspector Tiina Laurell (honey and plant-based foods)
municipal veterinarian Nina Koskinen (food of animal origin from primary production)

Food contact material activity notifications

Food contact materials are materials or articles that come into contact with food. When you place food contact materials or articles on the market, you must notify the food supervision authority of your activity.

When your food contact material activity is located in Hämeenlinna and Hattula, submit a notification to Hämeenlinna Food Supervision in the electronic service system Ilppa. You can also notify the discontinuation of operations through Ilppa.

• Processing the initiation notification costs €228.
• We will send you a certificate once your notification has been processed.

To ensure good manufacturing practices and the safety of food contact materials, you must prepare a written quality management system that includes both quality assurance procedures and quality control procedures. The self-monitoring obligation applies to manufacturers, importers, and wholesalers of food contact materials.

Read more about self-monitoring for food contact material activities on the Finnish Food Authority website: Self-monitoring for food contact material operators – Finnish Food Authority

If necessary, contact health inspector Suvi Martikainen.

When is registration not required?

A registration notification is required when the activity is regular and professional food operations.

A registration notification does not need to be submitted, for example, if:

• you sell low-risk food as a private individual, without a business ID, occasionally and for a short period. Low-risk products include, for example, coffee or baked goods. Activity is considered professional if sales occur on more than 12 days per year or if turnover exceeds €20,000 per year.
• you sell your own primary production products in direct sales. Sales are reported in connection with the primary production notification.
• your activity is association or club activity
• you organize pop-up restaurant activity as a sole trader or private individual max. 12 times/year

No fees are charged for inspecting such activity.

Check the Finnish Food Authority website for more detailed restrictions:

Registrable food operations or not? – Finnish Food Authority (in Finnish)

If you are unsure whether your activity needs to be registered, please contact food supervision.

Even if your activity does not require registration, food operations must always be organized to avoid health hazards. As a seller or otherwise supplying food (for example, you serve food free of charge), you are responsible for the safety and good hygienic quality of food in all situations.

If the nature of your activity is such that risks cannot be considered minor, you must submit a notification regardless of how long your activity lasts. Activity must always be registered, for example, in the following cases:

• you sell fresh meat or fish
• you sell minced meat preparations
• you sell cold-smoked vacuum-packed fish
• you cool flambéed salmon and sell it later
• you prepare canned foods
• you prepare or sell sushi at a bazaar

Fees

Processing notifications and applications under the Food Act and supervision of operations are subject to fees. The amount of the fee is determined according to the environmental health services charge. In addition, the basic fee under the Food Act is invoiced annually.

Processing a primary production notification is free of charge and no annual basic fee is invoiced (excluding sprout production).

Contact information