Key Conditions for Food Trading Licenses in Storage Facilities

Consumers are now showing an unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed, and marketed. Their demands are increasing for governments to take greater responsibility in protecting consumers and ensuring food safety. This has led the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to place significant emphasis on enhancing national food control systems based on scientific principles and guidelines. These systems cover all sectors of the food chain and hold particular importance in various countries' efforts to improve food safety, quality, and nutritional standards. However, achieving this requires a high level of political commitment.

Within the framework of Law No. 10 of 1966 regarding food control and regulation of its circulation, the guidelines target the relevant national authorities responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of food for the benefit of consumers and public health. They do so by establishing a set of conditions that define the responsibilities of companies in the food sector, especially regarding obtaining a food trading license for storage facilities. Key conditions include:

(1) Storage facilities and their operators are prohibited from trading food or related materials before obtaining a food trading license from the regulatory body, or in the case of a decision to suspend or cancel the food trading license.

(2) Operators of storage facilities, or their legal representatives, commit to:

?? - Implementing all procedures, controls, requirements, and technical rules issued by the regulatory body regarding the trading of food and related materials in the storage facility.

?? - Providing accurate information or data about the storage facility and its operators, and/or the conditions of food storage or trading operations.

?? - Notifying the regulatory body of any changes that occur in the storage facility in general.

?? - Allowing the regulatory body to take food samples or related materials from the storage facility in accordance with food safety and quality requirements, and monitoring the retention.

?? - Implementing the regulatory body's decisions regarding the disposal of food or related materials and notifying the regulatory body of actions taken in this regard.

?? - Not trading food unfit for human consumption or of unknown origin, or expired.

?? - Settling dues owed to the regulatory body for fees, services, or related costs. The duration of the food trading license for the storage facility is three years, with annual payments or every three years to the benefit of the regulatory body.

?? - Providing documents and information through any available means (paper or electronic).

(3) The renewal of the food trading license for storage facilities must occur annually or every three years.

(4) License renewal is carried out by submitting a renewal application or sending the request via email to the regulatory body, or through the official website designated by the regulatory body at least two months before the expiration of the license. The renewal process is not automatic under any circumstances.

(5) In case of failure to submit the renewal request within the specified timeframe, the storage facility is prohibited from trading food until obtaining a new license from the regulatory body. The request in this case will be treated as a new license application.

(6) Operators of storage facilities conducting activities before the implementation of this decision must submit an application for obtaining a license and regularizing their status in accordance with the provisions of this decision within six months from the day following its publication.

(7) Operators of storage facilities subject to temporary release provisions, conducting activities before the implementation of this decision, must submit an application for obtaining a license and regularizing their status within six months from the day following the issuance date specified by the regulatory body, ensuring compliance with the requirements of electronic means and technologies in the storage operations of food-related messages or materials subject to temporary release.

It is important to note that each type of food will have specific conditions and obligations for storage facilities, which must be strictly adhered to. For example, freezing conditions include the following:

(1) Trading licenses for new frozen storage facilities inside or below residential complexes are prohibited as of the publication date of this decision.

(2) License holders engaged in the storage of refrigerated and frozen food are prohibited from engaging in the following activities:

?? - Refreezing thawed food, even partially.

?? - Taking refrigerated or frozen food out of refrigerators and leaving it outside before loading it into transport means.

?? - Turning off refrigerators at any time if they contain food.

?? - Using storage areas for purposes other than storing food, such as housing, cooking, and accommodation of workers.

?? - Using storage facilities for storing non-food items such as chemicals, pesticides, and other non-food substances.

(3) Transportation of refrigerated or frozen food must be carried out in means of transport equipped for this purpose, meeting the regulations and requirements issued by the regulatory body in this regard. It is imperative to keep refrigeration or freezing devices in operation during loading, unloading, or stopping, as long as there is food inside.

Clear conditions must be followed by food sector companies, and there are also penalties and provisions for any violation of these established conditions, causing harm to public health and exposing companies to consequences. Some of the key penalties for storage facilities obtaining a food trading license are as follows:

(1) If a storage facility fails to meet the requirements and conditions of the license, the regulatory body will notify the operator in writing or electronically of corrective measures to be taken, granting a specified period to comply with the food safety requirements issued by the body. In case of non-compliance, the license application will be rejected, and the decision will be justifiable.

(2) If a facility fails to submit a renewal request to the regulatory body before the legal deadline or pay the annual or triennial fees, the license for the storage facility will be suspended.

(3) The Chairman of the Board or his authorized representative has the right to issue decisions to suspend or revoke the license in cases where food trading at the facility poses a risk to consumer health. These cases include:

?? - Presence of frozen food storage facilities below or inside residential complexes.

?? - Repeated violation of trading unfit food for human consumption, unknown source, or expired, with the regulatory body issuing a violation report to the storage facility.

?? - Existence of non-compliance situations reaching a certain level of risk, necessitating appropriate regulatory action based on risk assessment results conducted by the body using scientific methods.

?? - Providing inaccurate data, whether related to license applications, renewals, or when modifying facility data.

?? - Failure to submit the renewal request to the regulatory body within the legal timeframe.

?? - Non-payment of fees, service charges, or related logistical costs, including all compliance verification procedures for food safety and quality requirements issued by the body.

?? - Disposal or dealing with part or all of the reserved food or materials before the issuance of compliance or obtaining prior permission from the regulatory body, with the body considering the calculation of sample withdrawal rates by food.