Under EU food legislation, certain establishments placing food of animal origin on the market require approval. These include, for example, slaughterhouses and establishments that process milk, fish, meat and eggs and market these products not only at the place of production. Commercial kitchens may also be subject to the approval requirement. Exemptions from the approval requirement exist for primary production establishments, pure transport or storage activities without temperature regulations, and certain local forms of retail.

The approval procedure begins when the food business operator submits an application to the responsible veterinary and food inspection office. After examination of the company documents submitted, an on-site inspection is carried out to check whether the legal hygiene requirements are being met. The company receives an approval number together with the approval notice. This is affixed to the products as an oval identity mark.

Applications must always be submitted via the locally responsible veterinary and food control office.

The responsibility for the approval depends on the type of business and the production or processing quantity of the business per week. It lies either with the Thuringian State Office for Consumer Protection (TLV) or with the locally responsible Veterinary and Food Surveillance Office.

Presence of the conditions specified by law

• Draft of an operating plan to scale, showing the flow of materials and personnel, as well as the installation of machinery.
• proof of reliability of the food business operator or self-disclosure
• Certificate of competence

Please note that in accordance with cost item 5.2.1 ThürVwKostOMASGFF (Annex Administrative Costs List - Part C) a fee of 150 to 2,100 euros is charged for the final approval. The exact amount is calculated, among other things, from the working time required for this. The approval inspection is carried out by a member of the higher service, whereby an hourly rate of 82 euros is to be applied.

For a possibly preceding provisional or temporary admission, in addition, are raised:

• according to cost item 5.2.2 for a provisional or conditional approval fees in the amount of 75-300 Euro as well as
• according to 5.2.3 for the extension of a conditional approval a fee in the amount of 75-300 Euro.

• informal application for food approval for the activity to be approved
• Operating record with supplementary sheets

The text was automatically translated based on the German content per DeepL.

Thuringian State Office for Consumer Protection

04.03.2019