Codes

The Koninklijke Nederlandse Horeca (KNH) is responsible for the management and renewal of hygiene codes for the catering industry. Codes are adjusted every 3 to 5 months to respond to changes and to process new knowledge and insights. The hygiene code for the catering industry is provided by the KNH for a fee. Entrepreneurs must sure they take cognizance of the content of the most recently issued code. Entrepreneurs are also fully independently responsible for any training and/or (refresher) courses for staff. There are separate codes for vulnerable or special groups (eg the elderly or military personnel under special circumstances), which are by definition stricter than the hygiene code for the catering industry. Companies or institutions can also compile their own code, but hardly anyone does that. Firstly, it is very difficult to obtain special approval for this from the ministries involved. Moreover, it is cumbersome, because existing codes can easily meet any special needs.