Ministerial Circular No. 1 amending and updating Circular No. 21 establishing the guidelines for the compilation of non compulsory manuals of food hygiene practice.

Manuals of proper food hygiene practices are voluntary documents compilated in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 155 of 26 May 1997. The Annex to this Ministerial Circular contains the framework of the content of these manuals, which shall in particular deal with: premises (arrangements, disinfestation procedures, maintenance); tools and devices; production stages (raw materials used, deposits, waste and residues, etc.); personnel. In compliance with Directive 93/43/EEC, operators' organizations which have drawn up the manuals shall submit them to the Ministry of Health-Department of Food and Nutrition and of Veterinary Health. The latter shall thereafter verify the conformity of the manuals to the prescriptions contained in article 3 of Legislative Decree No. 155 of 1997. Afterwards, the Ministry shall forward the manuals that have been checked to the Upper Health Institute and to the Regions, category associations concerned, consumers' associations. The same procedure must be followed to update the manuals, according to technical and scientific developments.