Festivals, beach snack bars and ice-cream parlours in the spotlight – the NATCP’s summer inspections have already uncovered serious shortcomings in the first month

The inspections focused on the busiest locations during the summer season: 237 ice-cream parlours, 119 beach kiosks, 160 catering establishments popular with tourists, and 69 catering units operating at festivals and events were scrutinised.

The joint inspections carried out by the NATCP’s catering division and staff from government offices contributed to unified regulatory approach, whilst also providing an opportunity for businesses to receive direct professional assistance. This is because the NATCP not only carries out inspections but also supports compliance with the law. Ahead of the summer season, detailed technical guidelines and inspection resources were produced for both the inspectors and catering businesses, and these are available on the authority’s website (www.nkfh.gov.hu). These pay particular attention to the specific food safety risks associated with outdoor events and the fundamental requirements for safe operation.

However, experience from the first month shows that a number of previously identified shortcomings have still not been rectified, particularly in the case of festivals and major events. At several venues, even basic infrastructure was not in place. In some cases, caterers were not provided with designated drinking water supply points, so they had to transport water from public fountains to carry out their operations.

Food safety issues also recurred at businesses. Inspectors frequently observed a lack of facilities for hygienic handwashing, the failure to keep pre-prepared food at the correct temperature or to reheat it properly, the improper storage of ingredients, and the storage of cleaned and uncleaned ingredients in the same cold storage area.

Consumer information did not comply with the regulations in all cases. Several catering establishments failed to provide allergen labelling or the mandatory labelling of products containing sweeteners. Waste management also posed a problem at outdoor events: several venues did not use waste bins with secure lids, which increases the risk of pest infestation.

During inspections of ice-cream parlours, consumer information proved to be the most common shortcoming. In several cases, allergen information was missing; furthermore, there were instances of inadequately labelled, untraceable ice-cream ingredients.

Beach snack bars presented a more favourable picture overall. The majority of premises operated under satisfactory hygiene conditions; however, in a few cases, action had to be taken due to poor cleanliness, technical shortcomings, a lack of hand sanitiser, and the use of raw vegetables without a suitable vegetable preparation area.

As a result of the inspections, the operations of 15 catering establishments had to be restricted, in every case due to serious hygiene shortcomings.

Based on the irregularities identified:

• hygiene shortcomings were found at 20 per cent of the establishments inspected,

• irregularities relating to consumer information were found at 12 per cent,

• 11 per cent were found to be in breach of regulations concerning the medical fitness of staff,

• whilst 7 per cent were found to have traceability deficiencies.

During the first period, 94 regulatory proceedings were initiated, and the total amount of fines imposed exceeded 18 million forints. The results of the inspections have once again confirmed that targeted, nationally coordinated inspections carried out during the summer period remain justified. The NATCP's objective remains unchanged: to ensure a high level of protection for consumers’ health, whilst providing professional support to law-abiding businesses and strengthening consistent regulatory practice.