Food businesses that are required to fully develop a H.A.C.C.P. system can either implement the E.F.E.T. (HELLENIC FOOD AUTHORITY) programs or develop programs according to the system they apply.

The company manager is responsible for training the staff.

Only staff who have a valid degree or a certificate or evidence of attending an education or training program, from which it can clearly be seen that the employee is sufficiently trained in health and safety matters or other appropriate field of food.

These programs aim to ensure quality, safe products production and protect the consumer in accordance with Regulation 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 29, 2004 on food hygiene.

E.F.E.T. determines the minimum content of the programs, approves and controls their implementation, in accordance with the provisions, carries out the evaluation process and issues the relevant certificates.

The training programs are divided into three levels.

Level 1 Programs
They concern the training of simple operators in general matters of food hygiene and safety.
Minimum duration: 10 hours.

Level 2 Programs
They concern the training of food handlers or foremen or supervisors or business managers etc
Minimum duration: 20 hours.

Level 3 Programs
They concern the training of responsible groups and sectors, etc.

The possibility of carrying out education and training programs for the staff of food businesses have:
i. the businesses themselves for their staff.
ii. the professional bodies, chambers, sectoral unions.
iii. educational institutions, teachers and other Public Organizations and accredited training centers.

A. NUMBER OF TRAINEES
The number of trainees of each training program must be at least 10 and must not exceed 30 people.

B. TRAINING HOURS PER DAY
The number of training hours per day cannot exceed 8.
If the program lasts more than one day, the number of hours per day cannot be more than 5 and less than 3.

C. INSTRUCTOR HOURS
An instructor cannot exceed the number of 5 hours per day (including make-up hours) or 3 hours in the same group of trainees (without make-up hours). This limitation does not apply to the case of islands.

D. INSTRUCTORS THAT ARE PUBLIC OFFICERS
Educating civil servants should have secured the prescribed license to practice private work with a fee, which will be submitted.

D. Program Execution Control – Penalties
1. The control of the good execution of the programs will be carried out by E.F.E.T. employees with extraordinary and unannounced controls by a three-member committee.
2. If the audits to be carried out reveal serious violations in the implementation of the programs, then the bodies implementing these programs will be excluded from participating in new programs, by decision of the Board of Directors. after a relevant recommendation of the three-member committee. Any detected violations will be recorded in the attendance register.

Choice of Implementation Agency:
a. The business that plans to train its staff or the worker in a food business who is interested in obtaining a training certificate for one of the education or training programs chooses the Training Agency with which they wish to cooperate.
b. Businesses that have the appropriate premises and supervisory means can conduct the training themselves, as long as they comply with all the specifications

Submission of applications for approval of programs by the implementing bodies
Applications for the approval of the programs must be submitted in time (at least 40 days) before the start of the program in order to have the time frame for an opinion from the E.F.E.T..

How to apply

The applications for the approval of the programs are submitted by the interested implementing body, in a file containing all the required supporting documents, to the Directorate of Education, Information and Informatics of the E.F.E.T..

The application form is attached hereto.

The required supporting documents that will be sent to the Directorate of Education, Information and Informatics of E.F.E.T. are the following:
– The completed and signed application form.
– A copy of the application of each business that is addressed to the educational institution and is interested in training its staff, in which application, among other things, the activity of the business will be described in detail.
– Detailed personnel training program in accordance with the provisions of article 5.
– Detailed description of the program execution areas
– Responsible declaration of the person in charge of the educational institution that the information stated in the detailed description of the places of execution of the program is true.
– In the event that the training venue is a hotel room, chamber of commerce or other N.P.D., conference center or school room, the following will be additionally submitted:
– Responsible statement of the implementing body which will make sure that the space has the necessary equipment.
– The relevant proof of granting the use of the hall with an indication of its area by the owner of the hall.
– In the event that a room is proposed outside the KEK halls and the halls of hotels, chambers or other n.p.d., conference centers or school halls, the following shall be submitted:
– Certification from the competent service of SEPE that the hall meets the specifications and which states the area of the hall in square meters.
– The relevant proof of concession of use of the hall by the owner of the hall.
– Responsible declaration of the implementing body, with which it will be confirmed that the space has the necessary equipment.
– In the event that the trainer is a civil servant, an exact copy of the prescribed license to exercise private work with a fee.
– Responsible statement of the person in charge of the program that the program will be implemented in accordance with the documents indicated in the approval application and its attachments, as well as in the relevant approval decision issued by E.F.E.T.

The regular instructors submit a responsible statement declaring:
– Their employment relationship and specifically whether or not they are public servants.
– That they do not engage as trainers in these programs in total for more than 5 hours per day and in the same group of trainees for more than 3 hours per day.
– That for the specific hours of execution of the specific program of the organization they have not declared participation in another program.
Substitute instructors submit a responsible statement in which they declare that they accept their participation as instructors in the programs for the specific execution hours of the organization’s specific program and under the same conditions as regular instructors.

Program approval
The completeness of the application file is checked by the Education Directorate of E.F.E.T., which evaluates the attached supporting documents and makes a recommendation to the Board of E.F.E.T. for the approval or rejection of the application, within 15 days from the date of initialization.
The approval decision with all the required data is communicated to the implementing body in a timely manner, and in any case before the start of program execution.

Announcement of program completion
After the completion of the program and within 10 calendar days, the original application forms and the list of those who have finally qualified, as well as proof of deposit in the bank account of the E.F.E.T., will be sent in written form to the Directorate of Education, Information and Informatics of the E.F.E.T., which has been determined, by decision of the Board of Directors. of E.F.E.T., at €30 per educational program.

c. EXAMINATION PROCEDURE
At the end of the program the trainees are subject to exams in order to be evaluated. The exams will take place at points and times determined by E.F.E.T. and which are notified to the implementing body within 10 days of the announcement of the completion of the program through E.F.E.T.’s website.

The business or the chamber, or the branch union or the educational institution that has undertaken the obligation to organize the Mandatory Training Program for Food Business Personnel, is obliged to select Trainers from the E.F.E.T. Trainer Registers or the General Register of Food Business Trainers until it is abolished, as defined in YA No. 14707/2007 (Register of E.F.E.T. Trainers).

The Educational Organization that undertakes the conduct of the official training of the E.F.E.T. has the obligation to:
– To use trainers from the E.F.E.T. Trainer Registry.
– To inform E.F.E.T. about the conduct of training so that the three-member evaluation committee is informed in time.
– To use the forms drawn up by E.F.E.T. for this purpose.
– The update is mandatory.
– To have the appropriate training space, which must meet the conditions of the next paragraph.

TRAINING PROGRAM VENUES
According to the related Legislation (ΥΑ 14708/10-08-2007/ΦΕΚ 1616/Β/17-08-2007).