Key Points of Taiwan's Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) Regulations: Premises, Equipment, and Personnel

What Is GHP?

GHP is the common name for the Regulations on Good Hygiene Practice for Food (食品良好衛生規範準則). Its legal basis is Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation: the personnel, work areas, facility hygiene management, and quality assurance systems of food businesses must all comply with these regulations. The current version found at the time of writing was last amended on June 4, 2025, with some articles taking effect at later dates; the last batch doesn't take effect until June 4, 2030.

Its role is the "hygiene foundation": regardless of size or sector, first get the environment, equipment, people, and records under control. Systematic management such as HACCP is a higher-level requirement built on top of GHP.

Who Must Comply?

Article 2 of the regulations says they apply to food businesses as defined in Article 3, Subparagraph 7 of the Food Safety Act, which is a broad scope. Businesses with food factories must also comply with the Standards for Food Factory Buildings and Equipment (食品工廠建築及設備設廠標準) for their buildings, facilities, and equipment, in addition to GHP.

The regulations are organized by sector: Chapter 2 covers food manufacturers, Chapter 3 food logistics, Chapter 4 food retailers, and Chapter 5 food service, followed by chapters on food additive businesses, low-acid canned foods, food utensil/container/packaging manufacturers, and food detergent manufacturers. Plants making buns and dumplings mainly look at the general provisions and the manufacturing chapter; shops that make and sell on the spot look at the food service or retail chapters.

Requirements for Work Areas

Details on premises, facilities, and equipment are in Annex 1. The points most often asked about:

• Walls, pillars, floors, and ceilings must be kept clean, avoiding standing water, mold, peeling, dust buildup, or condensation.
• Entrances, doors, windows, vents, and drains must have measures to keep pests out, and drains must be able to catch solid waste.
• General work areas need lighting of at least 100 lux, and work or food preparation surfaces at least 200 lux; light sources must not change the color of food, and fixtures above food must be shielded.
• Areas with different cleanliness requirements must be effectively separated.
• Frozen storage or transport equipment must be kept at −18°C or below; refrigeration must be kept at 7°C or below and above freezing point, with temperature indicators installed and records kept.
• Process water, ice, and water used to clean equipment and utensils must meet drinking water quality standards.
• Toilets must not open directly onto work areas and must display a sign saying "Wash hands after using the toilet."

Requirements for Equipment and Utensils

Point 2 of Annex 2 covers cleaning and hygiene of equipment and utensils:

• Use equipment according to the precautions on its labels and the correct methods provided by the supplier; food contact surfaces must be kept smooth, free of dents or cracks, and clean.
• Confirm equipment is clean before use, clean it thoroughly after use, and prevent recontamination.
• During cleaning and sanitizing, detergents or sanitizers must not contaminate food contact surfaces, raw materials, or finished products.

Annex 3 requires that the operation, use, and maintenance of equipment, utensils, and containers used in processing follow principles of hygiene and safety; raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished products must not touch the floor directly; and there must be measures to prevent metal or other foreign matter from getting in and to prevent cross-contamination.

For machinery, on the plant floor these provisions translate to: it comes apart, it can be washed everywhere, there are no crevices that trap dirt, and lubricants and cleaning agents don't end up in the food.

Requirements for Personnel and Records

• New food workers must have health checks for hepatitis A, typhoid, skin diseases of the hands, and so on, and then at least once a year.
• New hires need at least 3 hours of training; current staff at least 3 hours per year.
• During work, wear clean work clothes, caps, shoes, and masks; no long nails or jewelry.
• A hygiene supervisor must be designated to fill in hygiene management records daily.
• Under Article 11, records, reports, and documents made under these regulations must be kept for at least 5 years.

The New Chapter on Utensil Manufacturers Added in 2025

The June 4, 2025 amendment added Chapter 8, "Manufacturers of Food Utensils, Containers, or Packaging" (Articles 45 to 49), requiring manufacturers to select suitable raw materials for the final conditions of use and keep hygiene and safety data, keep records of process and quality control, confirm that each batch of finished product meets quality assurance requirements, and keep records for at least 5 years. Under Article 50, manufacturers of non-plastic materials are phased in in two stages: non-plastic manufacturing factories with capital of NT$30 million or more take effect 3 years after the amendment was promulgated; other non-plastic manufacturers take effect 5 years after promulgation.

For practical methods of cleaning equipment, see Allergen Management and Machine Changeover Cleaning; for the equipment deficiencies most often cited in inspections, see The Equipment Deficiencies Most Often Cited in Food Hygiene Inspections.

FAQ

Q: Is GHP voluntary?
A: No. Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Food Safety Act requires all food businesses to comply with GHP; if a business fails to correct within the deadline after being ordered to do so, it can be fined NT$60,000 to NT$200 million under Article 44.

Q: What does GHP require of the machines themselves?
A: Annex 2 requires equipment to be used according to its labels and the supplier's instructions, with food contact surfaces kept smooth, free of dents or cracks, and clean; Annex 3 requires equipment operation and maintenance to follow principles of hygiene and safety and prevent metal and other foreign matter from getting in.

Q: What temperature should a freezer be?
A: GHP Annex 1 requires frozen storage or transport equipment to be kept at −18°C or below, with temperature indicators installed and records kept.

Q: How long should GHP records be kept?
A: Article 11 of the regulations requires at least 5 years.