Consultation
Guidance on operating licences, communication with the Agriculture and Food Board, and preparing for audits.
Get in touchWhy and when you need a consultation
Food safety requirements are spread across EU regulations, the Estonian Food Act and the PTA's guidelines, and each line of business has its own guideline. A consultation is for the situation where you do not yet need a new document but a clear answer: what applies to your business and what to do next.
Before starting, a business must submit a notice of economic activity to the PTA or apply for an activity licence; which one applies depends on the activities and food groups you handle. We help you establish which form and which self-monitoring plan guideline apply to your operation, and what to attach to the application.
A consultation also suits the moment when the PTA has announced an inspection or made remarks and you want to understand, before replying, exactly what is expected and how to remedy the shortcomings.
You need a consultation when
- you are starting a food business and do not know whether to submit a notice of economic activity or apply for an activity licence
- you are expanding: a new food group, a new site, food transport or sales outside your premises
- the PTA has announced an inspection or sent remarks and you want help with the reply
- you are preparing for an audit by a client, a chain partner or a certifier
- you are not sure which PTA guideline applies to your operation
What the service includes
- Operating licence guidance
- Communication with the PTA
- Audit preparation
How it works
Describe the situation
Tell us what you do and what you need an answer to.
We agree the format
We reply in writing or arrange a conversation, depending on the size of the question.
We give you the answer
We explain what applies to your business, point to the current guideline and say what to do next.
We continue if needed
If it turns out you need a plan, an update or an audit, we make a separate offer for that.
Questions about consultation
It depends on the activity. The PTA's forms are dual-purpose per line of business: ordinary activities need a notice of economic activity, while the fields that need an activity licence are marked separately on the form and mostly concern handling food of animal origin. From your list of activities we tell you which applies and what documents to attach.
We help you prepare the replies and documents and explain what the authority is asking for. Applications and notices are submitted by the business itself: the PTA accepts them through its own portal, signed by the business's representative.
An inspection assesses both the self-monitoring plan and how it actually works: whether the monitoring sheets are filled in, temperatures are measured and the described routine is followed, whether staff have health certificates and hygiene training, and whether traceability works. We go through these points with you before the inspection.
A consultation answers a specific question and does not require a site visit. An audit is a systematic on-site review against a checklist, and its result is a report with corrective proposals. If a consultation shows that you need the full picture, we recommend an audit.
Ask for advice
Tell us what you do and what your question is. We will check which guideline and requirement apply to your line of business.
Get in touch