Outdoor cooking equipment must operate at high temperatures and withstand years of exposure to the elements, while remaining safe to cook on. Few consumer products are subject to such a wide range of safety requirements.

For brands selling into the EU, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) adds a further legal layer on top of these standards. GPSR replaced the older General Product Safety Directive in December 2024, and applies in every EU Member State.

Keep reading to learn how GPSR rules impact barbecues and pizza ovens, and the obligations on each part of the supply chain.

How GPSR applies to outdoor cooking products

GPSR is the EU's safety framework for consumer goods, applying to risks not covered by sector-specific legislation. Any outdoor cooking equipment sold to consumers in the EU falls under GPSR, either wholly or in part. The scope can be divided by fuel type.

Products sold exclusively for professional catering use fall outside GPSR, because the regulation defines a consumer as someone acting outside their trade or profession. However, professional-grade equipment that ends up on sale through consumer channels (such as an Amazon listing or a stock position with a general retailer) comes back into scope.

Solid-fuel cooking equipment

Charcoal, wood-fired and pellet products do not fall under dedicated product-specific EU legislation, so GPSR is the main rulebook, supported by relevant harmonised standards (such as the EN 1860 series). These products include:

• Ceramic kamado grills
• Disposable barbecues
• Fire pits with grilling attachments
• Hibachi and portable charcoal grills
• Kettle and barrel charcoal barbecues
• Smokers and offset firebox barbecues
• Wood-fired and wood-pellet pizza ovens

Gas cooking products

LPG and natural gas barbecues and pizza ovens are governed primarily by the Gas Appliances Regulation (GAR). GPSR still applies to aspects not covered by GAR, such as foreseeable misuse risks and ancillary components outside GAR's scope.

Electric outdoor cooking products

Electric grills, pizza ovens and plug-in smokers are governed primarily by the Low Voltage Directive and EMC Directive. Any risks not covered by those directives fall under GPSR.

Barbecue accessories

Barbecue covers, pizza peels, thermometers, cleaning brushes, rotisserie attachments and grill baskets generaly fall under GPSR; there's no product-specific EU legislation. 

However, some accessories that come into contact with food - such as grill baskets and pizza tools - may also be subject to food contact materials legislation (EC 1935/2004). 

Intersecting legislation to keep on your radar

Outdoor cooking equipment compliance rarely relies on GPSR alone. Depending on the fuel type and construction of your range, additional EU rules may apply, such as:

• Gas Appliances Regulation (EU) 2016/426 for LPG and natural gas products, covering conformity assessment, CE marking and technical documentation specific to gas appliances
• Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and EMC Directive 2014/30/EU for electric barbecues and pizza ovens
• Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 on food contact materials, applicable to any cooking surface or accessories touching food
• REACH Regulation for coatings, paints, enamels and chemical treatments on metal and ceramic components
• Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, including extended producer responsibility obligations
• Ecodesign regulation: may become increasingly relevant as energy efficiency requirements extend to new product categories

Safety risks GPSR requires you to address

Article 9 of GPSR requires manufacturers to carry out and document an internal risk analysis before placing a product on the EU market. The analysis, and the solutions adopted to eliminate or mitigate any risks identified, must be recorded in the product's technical file.

Barbecues and pizza ovens cover a wider hazard range than most consumer products, and as we’ve discussed, some of those hazards also fall under other regulations. Your assessment needs to take account of these alongside GPSR's own requirements.

Here are some of the hazard categories worth considering when scoping your risk assessment:

GPSR requirements through the supply chain

Barbecue and pizza oven manufacturers

If you manufacture outdoor cooking equipment for the EU market, you carry the primary responsibility for compliance. Before any product is placed on the market, you must:

• Compile a technical file containing a general description of the product, an analysis of identified risks and the measures taken to mitigate them, any test reports, and a list of European standards applied. Where a standard has only been partly applied, identify which parts.
  
  
• Ensure products are correctly marked and labelled. Every product needs a type, batch or serial number that's visible to the consumer. Your business name, registered trade name or trademark, and both postal and electronic contact details also need to appear on the product or, where not possible, on the packaging or accompanying documentation.
  
  
• Provide safety instructions in the language(s) of each Member State where the product is sold. These instructions should cover assembly, fuel handling, first-use procedures, safe operating conditions, cleaning and end-of-season storage.
  
  
• Appoint an EU Authorised Representative if your business is based outside the EU. Their contact details must appear on or with the product alongside your own.
  
  
• Report safety issues through the Safety Business Gateway if a product is found to be dangerous. Maintain publicly available channels for consumers to report accidents or concerns, and keep a register of complaints.

Barbecue and pizza oven importers

Before placing outdoor cooking equipment on the EU market, importers must verify that the manufacturer has completed the risk analysis, compiled the technical documentation, and applied correct identification and labelling. 

Factual verification is required; taking the manufacturer's word alone is not sufficient evidence. Importers must:

• Add their own name and contact details to the product or packaging, without obscuring the manufacturer's information
• Ensure instructions and safety information are in the correct language for each market
• Retain a copy of the technical documentation for 10 years
• Keep supply chain records for at least six years
• Ensure storage and transport conditions don't compromise product safety
• Withdraw dangerous products from the market and notify authorities if an issue comes to light, regardless of whether the manufacturer cooperates

Barbecue and pizza oven distributors

Distributors provide the final safety checkpoint before products reach consumers. GPSR obligations are lighter than for manufacturers or importers, but still substantive:

• Verify that products carry the required identification, manufacturer details and safety instructions in the correct language(s) before making them available
• Don't make products available on the market if there is reason to believe they are non-compliant
• Maintain storage conditions that ensure product quality; for example, damp storage is a known cause of rust progression in flat-packed units held over winter into spring
• Keep supplier and customer records for traceability
• Inform the manufacturer or importer and notify authorities via the Safety Business Gateway if an issue comes to light after the product is on the market

Online sales and marketplaces

A significant share of barbecue and pizza oven sales happen online. GPSR applies in full to distance selling, and every product listing must display:

• The manufacturer's name and both postal and electronic contact details
• The EU Authorised Representative's details if the manufacturer is based outside the EU
• Product identification including a photograph, product type and any other identifiers
• Any applicable warnings and safety information in a language easily understood by consumers in the target market

Online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and specialist outdoor living platforms have their own obligations under GPSR, including Safety Gate Portal registration, maintaining points of contact, and removing dangerous product listings. If you sell through marketplaces, review their updated compliance requirements before the peak season hits.

How Hooley Brown can help with your GPSR compliance

Barbecues and pizza ovens are governed by several EU safety regimes, and their obligations vary by fuel type, components and distribution channel. Getting that regulatory picture properly mapped before products are placed on the market prevents non-compliance.

Hooley Brown supports manufacturers, importers and distributors of outdoor cooking equipment across the full regulatory scope, from EU Authorised Representative services to technical file development, labelling review, and advice on how GPSR interacts with frameworks like GAR, the LVD, food contact regulation and REACH.

Book a free discovery call or email hello@hooleybrown.com to talk through your GPSR requirements.

This article was published in April 2026. Regulations can change. Always verify current requirements and seek professional advice for your specific situation.

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