On 21 November 2022, the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (“MISTI”) issued Prakas 252 on the Implementation of General Principles of Food Hygiene in Factories, Enterprises and Handicrafts (“Prakas 252”) to establish standard requirements for food factories, enterprises and handicrafts in Cambodia.
Under Prakas 252, the owners of factories, enterprises and handicrafts that manufacture, process, package and store food products for distribution in Cambodian markets or for exporting abroad must:
(1) conform to Cambodia Standard CS 468:2014 on General Principles of Food Hygiene and CS 084:2010 on ASEAN Common Principles and Requirements for Food Hygiene; and
(2) obtain a certificate of hygiene, which is issued by the Department of Certification of Institute of Standards of Cambodia (“ISC”) of the MISTI. The certificate of hygiene is valid for three years.
A food product is defined as any substance (either processed, semi-processed or unprocessed) for human consumption, including beverages, gum and any substance used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of food except for cosmetics, tobacco products, or products used for medication. Further, factories, enterprises and handicrafts are defined as buildings, places or vehicles for manufactured goods that convert raw materials or semi-processed products into new products, or for other activities, such as assembly, installation, repair, testing, packaging, filling, maintenance, or improvements to meet market demands.
Interestingly, the above definitions are very broad and can arguably cover all sizes of factories, enterprises and handicrafts that manufacture or process any food products in Cambodia.
For instance, factories that manufacture pre-packaged food are included in the above definitions and must conform with the above-mentioned Cambodia Standards, CS 468:2014 and CS 084:2010, and must apply for the certificate of hygiene.
Entities that fail to comply with the above requirements will be subject to penalties under the Law on Cambodia Standards and its amendment.
It is important to note that the certificate of hygiene for factories, enterprises and handicrafts was previously issued by the Ministry of Health (“MOH”). However, due to recent regulatory changes, the competent authority to issue the certificate of hygiene is now the ISC. On the other hand, the MOH is tasked with issuing the certificate of good hygiene practice at end-use places and the certificate of hygiene for food at end-use places. An end-use place is defined as a place where the food product is consumed by end users, such as restaurant, cafeteria, canteen, and food court, etc.
Below is a summary of the hygiene certification requirements for food:
Should you have any concerns or queries on the matters mentioned above, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
