Grocery stores

A FEW WORDS ABOUT GROCERY STORE LICENSES

A grocery store is a shop that sells all types of food and beverages in general, except for the items mentioned in the following paragraph, as well as the non-food items specified below.

The following items may not be sold in grocery stores:

Fresh or frozen meat, poultry, and fish.
Fruit and vegetables, except nuts, potatoes, and dried onions.
Confectionery products other than standardized confectionery (jams, compotes, spoon sweets, Turkish delight, kourabiedes, etc.) and standardized chocolate, caramel, and biscuit products.
Bulk milk, bottled pasteurized milk, and traditional yogurt.
Baked goods, except those permitted by the applicable Market Regulations.

As an exception to the above, the sale of standardized frozen meat, poultry, game, fish, vegetables, etc. is permitted in grocery stores, properly packaged in plastic bags or other permitted packaging, provided that these items are offered in small quantities and there is sufficient space in the store to install the necessary freezer compartments specific to each type of product. Grocery stores are also allowed to sell personal hygiene and cleaning products in general (all kinds of soaps, detergents, sponges, toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, etc.), air fresheners, State Monopoly products, alcohol, gasoline and LPG in bottles, insecticides, including moth repellents in truly airtight packaging, cosmetics, paper products, etc., provided that these items are displayed in small quantities so as not to cause congestion in the store, and occupy a separate area of the store away from food products.

The sale of standardized animal feed may be permitted in grocery stores, provided that there is sufficient shelf space, which will be used exclusively for the placement of animal feed and, possibly, certain non-food items that are permitted to be sold in grocery stores, in accordance with point (a) of the previous paragraph. The shelves with animal feed shall bear a sign with the relevant indication (“Animal Feed”) to inform customers.

It is permitted to operate more than one store of the type referred to in this article in the same space, in such a way that they constitute a single store, which will include as many departments as there are types of stores operating in the same space (mixed store), provided that each section employs separate staff. All sections of the mixed store shall belong to the same business entity. The following stores referred to in this article may operate as mixed stores:

Grocery stores, fruit and vegetable stores (provided that the vegetables are free of their roots), butcher shops, poultry shops, egg shops, frozen food shops, delicatessen and cheese shops, and oil and cooking fat shops.
The grocery stores, coffee shops, shops dried fruit and confectionery products and shops bottled beverages.

Sales area (mainly store) of sufficient capacity, depending on the store’s customer traffic, in such a way as to ensure comfortable customer circulation and easy cleaning, and in any case not less than 15 square meters.

Storage space, proportional to the commercial activity of the store. Storage space is not necessary in small stores with an area of 20 square meters, if they are single-purpose, or 40 square meters, if they are mixed-use or butcher shops.

The above areas shall be separated from each other by walls or other solid structures that are easy to clean and do not provide breeding grounds for mice, cockroaches, etc.

In grocery stores, cleaning products, air fresheners, insecticides, monopoly items, and standardized animal feed will occupy a separate, clearly designated area, away from food, in such a way that they cannot be affected by it.

Canned preserved foods (canned goods) shall be stored in cool places, which are not affected by sunlight and generally by high ambient temperatures. Wholesale stores shall store canned foods in dry warehouses at a stable low temperature, preferably +10°C, which shall be well ventilated.

Unpackaged foods, which are eaten as they are, without first being boiled, baked, or peeled, shall be kept in hermetically sealed display cases, in such a way as to protect them from flies, cockroaches, mice, dust, exhaust fumes, and any other kind of pollution. Fruit that is eaten without being peeled first shall be protected as much as possible from the above pollution by being placed inside the store. Customers and store staff are not allowed to touch the above food items, and the store manager is responsible for enforcing this rule.

Perishable foods shall be stored in suitable refrigerators of sufficient capacity and at a constant low temperature below +7°C, depending on the type of food and the desired storage time. For milk, paragraph 12 of Article 39 applies. It is prohibited to display perishable foods outside refrigerators. If the shopkeeper wishes to display perishable food, including raw meat, there must be suitable refrigerated display cases. In the case of packaged perishable food, special open refrigerators may be used for display.

All types of food must have the usual organoleptic characteristics (smell, taste, appearance) and, in terms of their effect on human health, must comply with the health requirements and conditions laid down in the Food and Beverage Code and the provisions of the relevant food legislation in force at the time.

Food and beverages sold in the stores referred to in this article, which are products of food processing or mixing or have undergone any processing (pasteurization, packaging, etc.), must come from legally operating food or beverage factories or laboratories. The origin of the above items shall be proven each time on the basis of sales invoices.

The packaging containers of canned foods shall not show any significant swelling or crushing, or oxidation or subsequent welding at various points, or any loss of tightness, and shall meet all the conditions relating to food packaging materials The competent health control authorities shall remove from consumption any cans whose containers show the above deviations, by applying the relevant provisions of the food legislation in force. applying the relevant provisions of the food legislation in force at the time. The provision of paragraph 5 of Article 45 of this law on the use of containers that previously contained poisons as food containers also applies to the establishments referred to in this article.

The paper used to wrap food that is eaten as is shall be unused, white, and perfectly clean, and if the food contains a high percentage of moisture, it shall be waterproof. To separate this paper from the bundle to which it belongs, a suitable finger wiper shall be used, i.e., a clean sponge, natural or synthetic (foam), placed in a suitable holder with an appropriate amount of clean water. A finger wiper shall be placed near each roll of wrapping paper used. Wetting the finger with saliva to separate the paper from the roll is prohibited.

Cardboard boxes or trays used for packaging confectionery shall be lined with unused, white, waterproof, and perfectly clean paper or other similar material.

All areas of the stores referred to in this article, as well as furniture, refrigerators, tools, utensils, etc., shall be kept in good condition and perfectly clean. The tools, utensils, and appliances used for various food handling operations shall be washed daily with hot water and soap or another suitable and hygienically acceptable detergent. For this purpose, the store shall have a sink (which may also be used for washing hands) and a hot water supply (water heater or, in small stores, an electric kettle with a pot). In butcher shops in particular, meat cutting boards must be covered with a sheet metal cover after each use and, at the end of the workday, scraped and then washed with hot water and soap or another suitable detergent.

Food vendors shall be healthy and perfectly clean and shall wear a white or light-colored clean shirt. The Health Service may require shops covered by this article to hire a cashier if it considers that their customer traffic warrants such a measure.