At the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management (“the Ministry“) a Guide for beginners in sale of food through the Internet has been published and it has been recommended by the Ministry as an official guide for safety of food of plant and animal origin, mixed food, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages in e-commerce.

Considering that in the previous period and due to the coronavirus pandemic there has been a significant increase of activities in the domain of e-commerce, including online trade in food, the drafting of such guide was undeniably important, notably for small producers that are dominantly present in the online market.

The Guide summarises legal requirements referring to safety and quality of food in production and trade, as well as obligations with regard to registration – not only in terms of registered business operation but also registration in the Central register of facilities that is kept by the Ministry and which is to be fully digitalised from September 2021.

The Guide also contains the obligations with regard to introduction and maintenance of hygiene, safety and traceability of food, packaging, labelling, declaration and advertising of food, obligations in terms of display of nutritive and health statements, but also basic information on the protection of consumers’ rights.

The Guide is available at this link.

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