A new hobby for Lithuanians is cooking and selling food at home.

The simplified requirements developed by the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS), which came into effect just a year ago, attracted the interest of much of the country’s population. Since December 2019, when these requirements came into force, some 160 small food producers have registered with the SFVS. Their activities are very diverse, many of them offering homemade cakes and flour products, and they have also brought a number of dishes and meals directly to customers, according to the report.

Those who plan to cook food in small quantities in their home kitchens and supply it directly to consumers must first choose one of the two permitted activities: the production of baked goods and flour products or the production of ready meals and dishes. Assessing the fact that it will not be possible to implement all the requirements applicable to large companies in the home kitchen, range and quantity restrictions have been established.

Those who decide to undertake this activity do not need to install separate premises, but the existing premises are subject to the essential requirements of adequate hygiene, the equipment must be in good condition, clean and constantly maintained. It is also necessary to ensure the supply of hot and cold drinking water, perform water laboratory tests, to properly manage the waste generated in the workplace.

All these requirements allow small businesses to start a home without a large investment in home kitchen, but the activity must be registered with the SFVS, and when publishing the products sold on the Internet, the activity registration number of the company must be indicated. exercise. The fact that these requirements are easy to implement is also confirmed by the total number of home food producers supplying them directly to consumers: 2019. At the end of 2020, as soon as the requirements went into effect, 9 people registered their activities ; In December, this number reached 165. Most small food producers were registered in the Vilnius (36), Kaunas (33), Marijampolė (21) and Utena (13) regions.

It is important to know that before issuing a food business operator certificate to the SFVS, the inspectors evaluate the facilities and the manufacturer’s preparedness. These inspections have shown that in some cases there are also some difficulties in the labeling of products (for example, consumers do not receive information on allergens according to the range of food produced). How to properly provide consumers with information about allergens and intolerances can be found on the SFVS website.

Also, not everyone cooks after a medical check-up and a mandatory hygiene course. There are situations where manufacturers cannot provide the necessary tests for drinking water and do not have sufficient facilities to sanitize their hands and food handling surfaces. The SFVS specialists who identified such discrepancies this year did not apply administrative sanctions, they were explained to the manufacturers and instructed to eliminate the operational deficiencies identified.