6. Registration Processes

General Foods
Germany

This section provides information on any product notification or registration and manufacturing site registration processes.

6.1 Product Notification

Not required.  

Food can be manufactured and sold in Germany without special permission as long as it is safe and meets the general standards set by legislation. Manufacturers, importers, carriers, and retailers are responsible for the food they place on the market. They must ensure and document the safety and quality of their food through in-house control mechanisms. The law clearly defines what constitutes food: Food (or foodstuffs) means any substance or product, whether processed, partially processed, or unprocessed, intended to be ingested by humans (Article 2 Sentence 1 Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 abridged).

6.2 Product Registration

Not required.

6.3 Other Notes or Requirements

Product Notification

N/A

Product Registration

N/A

6.4 Manufacturing Site Registration

According to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 [1], a manufacturing license is required for manufacturing sites handling unprocessed animal-origin ingredients, because these are considered establishments subject to approval. A manufacturing site handling only processed ingredients of animal origin and ingredients of plant origin is not required to be approved by the EU for importing food to the EU.

All processed ingredients of animal origin (e.g. egg, dairy, meat, honey...) contained in the composite products, must come from EU-approved establishments located in countries authorized to export such processed products of animal origin to the EU, please refer to section 8. Safety parameters for further details. 

An export health certificate (EHC) is an official document that confirms one’ export meets the health requirements of the destination country. FBO must apply for an EHC if it is exporting or moving live animals or animal products from GB (England, Scotland, and Wales) to, or through:

• The EU
• Non-EU Countries
• Northern Ireland

A transit EHC is also needed to transit through an EU country.

A transit EHC may be needed to transit through a non-EU country. Check with the competent authority (the equivalent of Defra) in that country.

An EHC is needed for each:

• type of animal or animal product being exported from Great Britain,
• product type - if the exported consignment includes a mix of products.

6.4.1 Standard/Rules for Manufacturing Site

Buildings should be located, designed, constructed, adapted, and maintained to suit the operations carried out in them and to facilitate the protection of materials and products from contamination or deterioration.

6.4.2 Other Notes or Requirements for Manufacturing Site Registration

N/A

6.5 References

1. Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/853/oj