New legislation on staff medical checks, nutrition and food hygiene and safety rules in public and private crèches, nurseries and kindergartens.

New legislation on staff medical checks, nutrition and food hygiene and safety rules in public and private crèches, nurseries and kindergartens.

The new Health Decree Y1a/G.P. OLK. 76785/2017 concerning public and private nurseries, creches and kindergartens, as just recently published in the Government Gazette 3758 issue B’, on 25 October 2017, has immediate effect and repeals the legislation in force until now. The new Health Decree sets out the requirements for the medical examination of staff, nutrition and the rules of hygiene and food safety in public and private infant, nursery and children’s centres.

Main points:

PURPOSE
The purpose of this Health Regulation is to establish:
– The regular preventive medical check-up of staff,

– the foodstuffs provided for the feeding of infants and young children; and

– the hygiene and safety rules for foodstuffs in municipal nurseries, infant and nursery schools and in care, pre-school and educational establishments run by private-law bodies.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF STAFF
The staff of the Centres shall be provided with a health certificate as defined in Regulation No. Y1c/GPoik. 35797/2012 Health Decree, which will be renewed every two (2) years. In addition to the certificate, a psychiatric assessment and a dermatological examination shall be required every two (2) years.

FOOD HYGIENE AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
1. The health and welfare of children in nurseries is a matter of paramount importance. In order to protect the health of infants and young children in particular, safe food must be provided in nurseries and creches. 2. Since the preparation of meals is carried out within the crèche, nursery and creche, it is necessary to comply with hygiene rules in order to ensure as far as possible the hygiene of the meals and to prevent food-borne diseases. Appropriate facilities must be available for the hygienic preparation of food intended for the feeding of the child population, including appropriate sterilisation equipment for infant food. The persons in charge of the establishments must ensure that food is prepared and handled properly. To this end, staff involved in the preparation and handling of food should receive training in food hygiene. In particular, all health standards and specific requirements that
laid down in the relevant health provisions for food businesses as applicable.

APPLICATION OF THE HACCP PRINCIPLES
1. Children’s, infant and nursery schools that prepare and make available meals must establish, implement and maintain procedures based on HACCP principles (Articles 5 and 6 of Ministerial Decision 47829/2017/FEK 2161/A). When the applied prerequisite food safety standards, whether accompanied by the use of good practice guides or not, achieve the control of risks in food, there is no need to comply with full self-monitoring systems. It should be noted that, in the course of the establishment of HACCP procedures by the operators of the stations, account should be taken of the fact that they are aimed at a particularly sensitive and susceptible population.
2. Station managers must be aware of their responsibilities in the field of their activity, as defined by the legal requirements for food hygiene, and must also keep themselves informed of the requirements of the legislation by the local health authorities.

Download the legislation: http://bioximiki.gr/Υ1αΓ.Π.OLK. 76785/2017.pdf