Employer's Responsibility for the Hygiene Passport
The employer must ensure that employees working in a food establishment have sufficient food hygiene competence and, if necessary, a hygiene passport. In positions where a hygiene passport is mandatory, the employee must present the original hygiene passport to the employer.
The hygiene passport remains valid indefinitely as long as the employee retains one of its two components: either the card or the paper certificate. Copies, degrees, or training certificates are not acceptable for proving hygiene competence.
Who Needs a Hygiene Passport?
A hygiene passport is required if an employee:
Works in a food establishment and
Handles unpackaged, easily perishable food.
A hygiene passport may also be mandatory for employers, students, trainees, or volunteers if they perform the above-mentioned tasks.
Examples of food establishments:
Cafés, restaurants, and fast-food outlets
Food retail stores (grocery stores)
Large kitchens, bakeries, and food production factories
Easily perishable food includes, for example, milk, meat, fish, and chopped vegetables.
When Must a Hygiene Passport Be Obtained?
A hygiene passport must be obtained once an employee has accumulated three months of work requiring a hygiene passport. The calculation of this three-month period includes previous work periods in the food sector.
If the total duration of such work is less than three months, a hygiene passport is not required. Employees may work for up to three months without a hygiene passport, even if they handle unpackaged, easily perishable food.
Hygiene Competence Without a Hygiene Passport
Even if a hygiene passport is not required, employees must still work hygienically. It is the employer’s responsibility to guide and train employees in food hygiene.
In food establishments, even cleaning and maintenance staff must be aware of food safety risks related to their work practices.
Operator’s Obligations Regarding the Hygiene Passport
Employers must ensure that employees required to have a hygiene passport present the original document. The hygiene passport always belongs to the person to whom it has been issued, regardless of who paid for the test or the passport. The hygiene passport is issued with a Finnish personal identification number or, if unavailable, with the person's full name and date of birth.
Presenting the Hygiene Passport and Acceptable Formats
All employees required to have a hygiene passport must present the original document to their employer. The hygiene passport may be in either card or paper certificate form, both of which are equally valid. Employers must also verify that the presented passport indeed belongs to the employee. A third party cannot confirm an employee’s hygiene competence on their behalf.
To ensure authenticity, the following documents are not valid proof of hygiene competence:
Copies of the hygiene passport
The serial number on the hygiene passport
A food industry degree certificate
A temporary certificate issued by a hygiene passport examiner
Ownership of the Hygiene Passport
The hygiene passport is personal property and remains with the employee, regardless of who paid for the test or the document. Employees must ensure they receive both components of the hygiene passport—the card and the paper certificate.
The hygiene passport is issued in the recipient’s full name and Finnish personal identification number. If the person does not have a Finnish personal identification number, the passport is issued using their full name and date of birth.
Record-Keeping for Hygiene Passports
Employers must keep records of employees who have presented their hygiene passports. These records may include:
Copies of presented hygiene passports
A list of employees required to have a hygiene passport and who have presented it
In small food establishments, it may be sufficient for employees to present their hygiene passports to inspectors upon request
The records may be kept in paper or electronic format, or both. Employers must ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
Temporary Certificates and Their Limitations
A temporary certificate is not an official hygiene passport and does not replace it. A hygiene passport examiner approved by the Finnish Food Authority may issue a temporary certificate, but it cannot be used to prove hygiene competence.
How to Register an Employee for a Hygiene Passport Test?
If an employee does not have a hygiene passport, they can easily be registered for an open test at the company’s expense. Simply fill out the test date, participant details, and company billing information on the contact form.