CHAPTER III

Member States shall encourage the development of national guides to good practice for hygiene and for the application of HACCP principles in accordance with Article 8. Community guides shall be developed in accordance with Article 9. The dissemination and use of both national and Community guides shall be encouraged. Nevertheless, food business operators may use these guides on a voluntary basis. When national guides to good practice are developed, they shall be developed and disseminated by food business sectors: in consultation with representatives of parties whose interests may be substantially affected, such as competent authorities and consumer groups; having regard to relevant codes of practice of the Codex Alimentarius; and when they concern primary production and those associated operations listed in Annex 1, having regard to the recommendations set out in Part B of Annex I. National guides may be developed under the aegis of a national standards institute referred to in Annex II to Directive 98/34/EC Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations (OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p. 37). Directive as amended by Directive 98/48/EC (OJ L 217, 5.8.1998, p. 18). . Member States shall assess national guides in order to ensure that: they have been developed in accordance with paragraph 1; their contents are practicable for the sectors to which they refer; and they are suitable as guides to compliance with Articles 3,4 and 5 in the sectors and for the foodstuffs covered. Member States shall forward to the Commission national guides complying with the requirements of paragraph 3. The Commission shall set up and run a registration system for such guides and make it available to Member States. Guides to good practice drawn up under Directive 93/43/EEC shall continue to apply after the entry into force of this Regulation, provided that they are compatible with its objectives. Before Community guides to good practice for hygiene or for the application of the HACCP principles are developed, the Commission shall consult the Committee referred to in Article 14. The objective of this consultation shall be to consider the case for such guides, their scope and subject matter. When Community guides are prepared, the Commission shall ensure that they are developed and disseminated: by or in consultation with appropriate representatives of European food business sectors, including SMEs, and other interested parties, such as consumer groups; in collaboration with parties whose interests may be substantially affected, including competent authorities; having regard to relevant codes of practice of the Codex Alimentarius; and when they concern primary production and those associated operations listed in Annex I, having regard to the recommendations set out in Part B of Annex I. The Committee referred to in Article 14 shall assess draft Community guides in order to ensure that: they have been developed in accordance with paragraph 2; their contents are practicable for the sectors to which they refer throughout the Community; and they are suitable as guides to compliance with Articles 3,4 and 5 in the sectors and for the foodstuffs covered. The Commission shall invite the Committee referred to in Article 14 periodically to review any Community guides prepared in accordance with this Article, in cooperation with the bodies mentioned in paragraph 2. The aim of this review shall be to ensure that the guides remain practicable and to take account of technological and scientific developments. The titles and references of Community guides prepared in accordance with this Article shall be published in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-02 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.