- Approval of the facility
Entities wishing to provide sales of groceries on fuel stations must apply to the State Sanitary Inspection (PIS) at the district level for approval of the facility. The addressee of this application is the sanitary inspection unit appropriate due to entity's headquarters or place of business. The application must be submitted prior to the start of business, on the form set out Annex 3 to the Regulation of the Minister of Health of May 29th, 2007 on the model documents for the registration and approval of establishments producing or selling foods, who are subject to official inspections by the State Sanitary Inspection.
This approval is carried out in the form of a decision after a prior site inspection and checking whether the conditions for the hygienic storage and distribution of food ensure its safety.
Starting the above mentioned business requires the prior approval of the store's facility, however, in special cases, these approvals may be conditional. In case of a flagrant violation of sanitary conditions, the State Sanitary Inspection may refuse to approve the facility or withdraw a previously issued decision in this respect, or temporarily suspend the approval.
The said approval does not apply to entrepreneurs engaged in the retail sale other products than groceries and introducing to the market microbiologically stable packaged foods;
- Entry in the register of entities
Regardless of the approval, each entity introducing food on the market requires entry in the register of entities. The correct unit to submit the application is the State Sanitary Inspectorate relevant to seat of the entity or the place of business. The application must be submitted not later than 14 days prior to the start of the business. The application is drawn in written form and should be prepared using the model published in Annex 2 or 3 of the Regulation of the Minister of Health of May 29th, 2007 on the model documents for the registration and approval of establishments producing or selling foods, who are subject to official inspections by the State Sanitary Inspection.
Entering the fuel station into the register of entities introducing food is necessary due to the fact that they are subject to official inspections of the State Sanitary Inspectorate,
In case of changes of the distribution equipment of the facility, there is a need of a subsequent application changing the entry in the register of entities (Annex 4 of the above Regulation). Updates on these devices must be made no less than twice a year.
An entrepreneur wishing to obtain confirmation of the registration of entities may submit an appropriate application to the State Sanitary Inspection. Its model has been published in Annex 6 to the Regulation quoted earlier.
- Requirements concerning the sale and storage of groceries
The premises and the equipment as well as persons having contact with food must meet the following requirements:
- machinery and technological equipment which come into contact with groceries should be certified by the National Institute of Hygiene;
- working elements of the equipment, tabletops, counters should be in good condition, without damage, cracks, scratches. Auxiliary equipment and kitchen utensils, boards, etc., should be differentiated for various types of food and undamaged;
- the sink for washing hands should have access to cold and warm water, soap, disposable towels or hand dryer;
- equipment for keeping the premises and devices in clean condition;
- supply of washing and disinfection means in labelled containers stored in a separate closet;
- persons carrying out work related to the trade foods that come into direct contact with food products must be healthy and have appropriate, medically confirmed certificates issued under the provisions of the Act on contagious diseases and infections;
- any person having contact with food must carry a so called Sanepid book, which is a book of health for sanitary-epidemiological purposes. When obtaining it, 3 mandatory tests of feces samples need to be conducted in the district sanitary-epidemiological station. A physician enters a judgment in this book, allowing working with food.