Food control

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: ilppa.fi(external link, opens in a new window)

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

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.

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.

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.