FoodDocs - FAQ

FoodDocs being certified means that FoodDocs has documented processes. It’s not about us certifying our customers but being a reliable company to work with. FoodDocs helps you to set up and follow your food safety system more easily.

FoodDocs is suitable for all food handlers, including producers and primary producers, covering several food safety standards, including HACCP, HAPRC, ISO, FSSC, VACCP, TACCP, BRC, IFS. Sign up today!

A compliant HACCP system needs to be on site of every food business according to the law. It can be on paper or in digital form, whichever the customer prefers.

You can show your digital HACCP plan to your inspector either from your computer or from a mobile device. You can also invite your inspector to view your FoodDocs dashboard remotely on the inspection day. This helps you to spend less time on the inspection itself.

The official representative for a food business is responsible for creating and having a compliant HACCP plan and system. FoodDocs is a software that helps businesses that serve and sell food to create and manage their food safety system.

The agreement is concluded when you sign up to FoodDocs. All terms of use and privacy policy can be found in the homepage footer of FoodDocs.

FoodDocs uses industry-standard cryptographic authentication methods to keep all your account and company data secure. FoodDocs creates backups of your data on a daily basis which are stored for one week by default. Your company data is accessible only to users authorised by your main user. Your company's main user has an overview and control over all access rights granted to users (including access rights granted to FoodDocs support personnel).

FoodDocs has three secure data center parks: Germany, Nuremberg; Germany Falkenstein/Vogtland; Finland, Helsinki. All server systems used by FoodDocs come with an ISO 27001 certificate.

All inserted data, including recipes, is accessible for only those people the customer has given access to. Nobody else can see your documents in FoodDocs.

All your data will be deleted in 30 days after canceling your subscription.

During your subscription period you can always download and print all the activities and data you have inserted into FoodDocs.

FoodDocs is available in the following languages: ENG, GER, SPA, CAT, EST, RUS, UKR, LAT. Our app and our dashboard support all these languages.

You can pay with a credit card or with an invoice, in three currencies: EUR, GBP and USD.

The most convenient device for creating your HACCP is a computer desktop. For monitoring your everyday activities, any mobile device is convenient. Our app works on both devices, on iOS and Android.

Our app can also work offline. As soon as it gets connected, your data in FoodDocs will be synchronised.

You need to download the app first to get notifications through the app. You can change the monitoring sequence to match your need under the Settings icon.

Yes, you can! After creating your HACCP plan with our intelligent HACCP builder, you can customise it as you wish - change the wording, phrases, critical control points, etc. As your plan is digital, you can always log in and change it according to the changing needs of your business.

Read more here.

Yes, you can download your HACCP plan as a paper copy when you have at least a year-long subscription.

But truth be told, you don't need to print your HACCP at all! Keep it digitally and show it digitally to your inspector and to your staff.

Our customers love a digital HACCP since it is faster, cheaper and equally accepted by the authorities.

The easiest way is to book a demo with our customer support who will find out how we can help you.

We have partners in food safety consulting offices all over the world. Let us know and we offer you a specialist who is familiar with our software and experienced in providing advice and information about local food safety regulations.

The most important thing in FoodDocs is to choose your main field of activity. Based on this choice, FoodDocs will configure all the following settings in your HACCP plan to ensure food safety.

For example: if you have chosen Food service as your main field of activity, FoodDocs will generate all the next steps to ensure that your food is prepared, served and stored safely.

How to choose if I have several activities within the enterprise?

The rule is: your main field of activity is the one with the highest turnover. Add all other activities as additional activities under the general settings.

For example: if you have a restaurant, then your main activity is Food service. But if you also sell purchased items in their original packaging (e.g. chocolates, sweets, snacks), choose Retail as an additional activity. If you also prepare food and sell it to take away, choose Food preparation for takeaway, Takeaway, and in some cases - Selling food online/via post.

How to choose the main field of activity if I have several locations?

The rule is: you choose the main field of activity for each location.

For example: you have two locations, a production kitchen and a food truck. In this case, you draw up a food safety plan and choose the main field of activity for each location.

List of business activities

Food service - you provide food service, i.e. prepare or reheat food to eat on-site or to take away (incl. restaurant, cafe, bar, pub, nightclub, hotel, hostel, B&B, etc.)
Food retail - you sell food to the final customers (incl. shop, shopping centre, market, kiosk, point of sale)
Food production - you produce food in a central or industrial kitchen, factory, production facilities, etc.
Food service in portable vehicle - you provide food service in portable vehicles (incl. food truck, bus, stationary vessel, etc.)
Temporary food establishment - you sell food or provide food services for a period of up to 3 months
Food storage/wholesale – you are a wholesaler or supplier whose primary business is to sell food to other businesses
Transporting food/logistics – your main business activity is the transportation of food (online shop, food delivery services)
Animal farming/harvesting/hunting (primary production) – you raise animals, cultivate plants, pick berries/mushrooms.
Making food at home - you prepare food at home for sale (e.g. cakes, sushi, etc.), and your premises are not specifically adapted for food production.
Food service in institution - you provide a food service in an institution (school, kindergarten, prison, hospital)

Yes, you can mass import your recipes and list of teams directly to FoodDocs. Please contact our team to get the correct forms to do that.

Our system can be easily integrated with food safety temperature sensors, so all your food safety management information can be accessible from one dashboard. For example: if you have smart fridges or if you’re using hot, cold or core temperature sensors in your kitchen, all data can be directly forwarded to your FoodDocs dashboard or management. Read more here.

Regulation 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council regulates the provision of food information in order to provide customers with correct and relevant information. According to law, some ingredients/groups of ingredients must be indicated in percentages.

This manual would be good for food production companies in order to give you an idea of when the percentage of the ingredients should/shouldn’t be on the packaging label.

HOW TO INDICATE THE QUANTITY OF THE INGREDIENT

1.1 Percentage of the ingredient should be indicated if :

Ingredient is present in the name of the product;

Ingredient is mentioned on the packaging (word, picture);

Ingredient is essential to characterise a food and distinguish it from other products that are similar in name or appearance.

1.1.1 The ingredient is present in the name of the product

If the general name of the ingredient is present in the name of the product, then you should mark the % of the ingredient on the packaging label

If you present general names (vegetables, berries, fruits) in the product name but none of the vegetables, berries or fruits is dominant by weight, then you need to indicate the overall %.

If the ingredient is present in the name of the product as a compound ingredient, then you need to indicate the % of the compound ingredient. Furthermore, emphasizing the ingredient of the compound ingredient its content must be also indicated on the packing label.

1.1.2 The ingredient is emphasized on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics

1.1.3 Ingredient is essential to characterize a food and to distinguish it from products with which it might be confused because of its name or appearance

1.2 % of the ingredient does not have to be shown in the following cases

If the liquid is a part of the main ingredient, then you should indicate the net weight of the main ingredient on the packaging label

The regulation about the quantity of the ingredient is stated in the law

For example, milk chocolate must contain at least 14% of milk solids, but the % of milk is not required (Directive 2000/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Annex I)

If you use seasoning in small amounts

For example, paprika-flavoured cheese - paprika is only used for seasoning, so you don’t need to indicate the %

If the product is a mix of fruits, berries or vegetables, or a mix of natural spices, but none of the ingredients are dominant by weight

For example, Mr. Summer Mix. Ingredients: vegetables in changing proportions - carrot cubes, green beans, cauliflower, green peas.

If you add sweeteners into the product, then you must also state it on the packaging label, but you don’t have to indicate the %

For example, glazed curd bar with sweeteners. It is not necessary to indicate the % of the sweetener.

One of the ingredients is added vitamins or minerals, for which you must provide information under nutritional info

For example, juice with vitamin C - you provide information in nutritional info: Vitamin C (40mg, which is 50% of the daily amount)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

If you use a concentrated or dried ingredient in the production, you can calculate the amount of the ingredient based on the amount of the reconstituted ingredient.

For example, mushroom sauce - you can indicate the amount of fresh mushrooms instead of the amount of dried mushrooms.

If the product is a concentrated or dried that customer is expected to mix with another substance (water) to create the final product, then packaging label may indicate the ingredients in the final product, but you must also add “ingredients in the final product” or “ingredients in the reconstituted product”. For example, soup concentrate - add water

If the product loses moisture during the heating or other processing method, the amount of the ingredient is calculated based on the amount of initial ingredient used for cooking, which should be stated as % of the weight of the final product. If the total weight of the ingredient or all ingredients on the label exceeds 100% of the weight of the final product, then instead of % you should state the amount of the ingredient or ingredients to prepare 100 g of the product.

For example, chicken snack - 231 g of the chicken fillet used to make 100 g of the final product

The amount of volatile ingredients must be based on the proportion in the final products (especially products containing alcohol). For example, a cake made with brandy

HOW TO CALCULATE THE QUANTITY OF AN INGREDIENT?

The quantity of an ingredient/ group of ingredients must be:

1) shown in % based on the quantity of the ingredient at the time of use

2) indicated either in the name of the product, under the name of the product or in the list of the ingredients

You may round the % value to the nearest whole number, or if the quantity of an ingredient is less than 5% then to nearest 0,5.

If you stated that “chicken” is an ingredient, then you will need to indicate the % of the amount of an ingredient used when unprocessed. If you used a processed ingredient such as “baked chicken”, then you must also indicate the % of the amount of the processed ingredient. If you used a processed ingredient such as prunes, then you may additionally indicate the amount of the same ingredient when unprocessed, to allow consumers to compare the same food products.

You don’t need to indicate the method of processing for the ingredients if their state is obvious to the customer. For example, “smoked chicken salad” - you only need to indicate the % in the list of ingredients.

If the amount of added water does not exceed 5% of the weight of the final product, then it does not need to be indicated on the list of the ingredients. If added water makes up 5% or more of the weight of the final product, then the amount must be indicated for meat, meat preparation, unprocessed fish products and mollusks, while the % does not need to be indicated.

If you can’t find answers to your question about the products and ingredients, find more information about labeling requirements:

Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers

If you have any questions, please contact us info@fooddocs.eu.

Frequently asked questions

Is FoodDocs software compliant and certified?

Can I use FoodDocs if I have ISO 22 000?

Will local authorities approve my digital HACCP plan and monitoring sheets that I created FoodDocs?

How can I show my digital HACCP plan to the local authorities?

Who is responsible for my HACCP plan that I created in FoodDocs?

Can I have a contract with FoodDocs?

Is FoodDocs software secure?

Where is data stored?

Who can see my inserted data and recipes? How safe is it?

What happens with my data if I cancel my subscription?

Can I export all the inserted data?

What languages do you support?

How and in what currency do I pay for the software?

On what devices can I use FoodDocs?

What happens if my internet connection is poor or disappears? Like in basements, on ships, etc.

How do I get monitoring reminders?

Can I customise my HACCP plan in FoodDocs?

Can I download my HACCP plan?

What if I need help to set up my FoodDocs account?

What if I don't know all the specifics of local rules?

How do I choose my main field of activity?

I have many recipes and/or team members. When I decide to use FoodDocs, can I mass import them to save time?

Can I integrate my sensors into the software?

Production: When and how to indicate the ingredient percentage?