You must submit a notification of food premises if you are operating a food establishment that prepares, stores, transports, sells, serves or otherwise handles food. You must also submit a notification if you sell food online. The notification must be submitted before starting a new food establishment, if there is a significant change in its operations, if the operator of the establishment changes, or if the operations are terminated or suspended.

Online notification: https://ilppa.fi/alkusivu(external link)

Further information on setting up a food business is available on the website of the  Finnish Food Authority.(external link)

Through food transport control, the city monitors independent professional food transport.

Primary food production includes, for example, the production of vegetables, berries, sprouts and honey, the growing of cereals and mushrooms, the raising of beef cattle, and fishing.  Picking wild berries and mushrooms and hunting are also considered primary production.

Distance selling refers to the selling of food on the Internet or over the telephone, for example, through online shops and websites. Virtual food establishments supply, sell or deliver food based on orders, without the operator ever having actual possession of the food.

Contact materials control covers materials and articles that come into direct or indirect contact with food. These include disposable gloves, food packaging, dishes and cutlery. Contact materials also include substances and supplies used in the manufacture of contact materials, such as inks, varnishes and adhesives.

You can operate a small-scale food establishment from home. Those operating from home must comply with the requirements of food legislation and contact the Food Control Unit before they start their operations. If the premises at home are sufficient, they can be used, for example, for preparing baked goods or storing foodstuffs.

If a food manufacturer wishes to manufacture food products in large quantities using raw meat or fish, unprocessed milk or non-stamped eggs and sell these products in a place other than their own place of sale, they must apply for a permit from the Food Control Unit before starting their operations. Such operations include meat cutting, sausage production, and the production of ready-made food and cheese.

Foodstuffs can be imported into Finland from countries belonging to the European Union or from outside the EU. A company that imports food into Finland must notify the Food Control Unit of its operations and investigate the requirements related to the import of the food in question.

In-house control refers to a food establishment operator’s systematic and continuous monitoring of its own operations. Through in-house control measures, the operator seeks to ensure that its foodstuffs are safe and comply with food legislation.

Food supplements control covers food products that differ from normal foods by either their appearance or the way in which they are used. Food supplements can come, for example, in the form of pills, capsules or herbal extracts. Food supplements include products designed for the intake of vitamins, minerals, fibre and fatty acids as well as different herbal products.

You can get food poisoning from food or drinking water. The Food Control Unit investigates suspected cases of food poisoning, takes samples of suspected foodstuffs, and inspects the affected premises, if necessary.

Outdoor sale of food refers to the serving, selling and related handling of food outside of a food establishment, for example, in mobile food premises. Mobile food premises include tents, containers, vehicles and carts used for selling food.

You can find the fees and monitoring plan of Espoo Region Environmental Health Services here.