Mobile food premises are movable sales or serving points or facilities for preparing or handling foods. They may be able to move or they can be moved from one place to another within one or more municipalities. Mobile food premises typically operate at different events, exhibitions, fairs and marketplaces. Mobile food premises include, for example, different mobile retail vehicles, marquees and small kiosks. The location of mobile food premises may vary on a daily basis or it may be the same, for example, for the entire summer. The berry sales points in front of shops or in the corridors of shopping centres and movable ice cream kiosks are examples of mobile food premises that may stay in place for the season.
Registration and approval procedure of mobile food premises
As a rule, the handling, preparation, serving, sales and transport of foods is food business that must be registered. A food business operator must submit a registration announcement of the movable food premises to the food control authority in the operator's municipality of residence four (4) weeks before starting the operations or a material change in them. If the operator does not have a municipality of residence in Finland, the registration announcement is processed by the municipality in which the food business starts.
Food legislation requires the approval of food premises that handle food of animal origin i.e. establishments. Establishments must apply for an approval from the control authority before starting the operations or a substantial change in them.
Information protocol when mobile food premises arrives in new locality
In addition to a registration announcement of the movable food premises or the approval of food premises, the operator needs to inform food control authority when arriving to a new locality. This information needs to be done 4 days (registration) or 2 weeks (approved food premises) before starting a mobile food business operation in the locality concerned.
If the operation is repeated, for example, weekly on a certain day, the operator can provide information for a longer period of time or until further notice.
Information does not need to be provided when the operator moves within the area controlled by the municipality with whose food control authority it has originally registered the mobile food premises.
It is recommended that operator makes the information in writing. Although, there are no specified form required in legislation.
You will find the contact information of local municipal food control authorities here.