Facts & Figures
- Foundation
- Location
- Human resources
- Budget
- Objective
- Main areas of work
- Risk assessments
- Research
- Committee work
- BfR Laboratories
- BfR Committees
1 November 2002 as a body under public law within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV)
4 locations in Berlin
Main location: Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10 (Berlin-Jungfernheide)
President’s office: Alt-Marienfelde 17-21
Additional Institute buildings: Thielallee 88-92
Diedersdorfer Weg 1
Headcount: 750
Scientists: 298
Trainees: 35
For its statutory tasks, in 2009 BfR had a budget of € 61.6 million
including third-party funding € 2.68 million
To strengthen consumer health protection in Germany and on the international level.
The main areas of work laid down in the “Act restructuring consumer health protection and food safety” of 14 August 2002 encompass the
- health assessment of biological and material-chemical safety of food,
- health assessment of the safety of substances (chemicals, pesticides, biocides) and selected products (con-sumer products, cosmetics, tobacco products, textiles and food packaging),
- risk assessment of genetically modified organisms in food, feed, plants and animals,
- risk communication and
- the development and validation of alternative methods to animal experiments.
In 2009 BfR carried out approximately 3000 risk assessments.
Involvement in more than 54 EU projects and 33 projects of the German Research Society (DFG) and other fed-eral agencies
119 BfR scientists serve on 325 national and international committees.
The following are attached to BfR:
National Reference Laboratories (NRL)
17 NRLs from the fields of food safety, genetically modified organisms, food hygiene, zoonotic agents and antibi-otics resistance monitoring and the Senior Expert Office for Wine.
Federal Bureau for Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)
Responsible for the national and international coordination and harmonisation of GLP-relevant questions and for the monitoring of GLP test institutes inside and outside Germany
ZEBET – Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments
ZEBET strives, whenever possible, to replace statutory animal experiments with alternative methods. It is sup-ported by the ZEBET Advisory Committee for the Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments.
14 Committees advise the Institute. In Germany they draw together the available expertise and then input it into international bodies. This guarantees rapid access to an expert network not just during a crisis.
National Breastfeeding Committee
Its task is to promote breastfeeding in Germany.
EFSA Focal Point
Its task is to coordinate the exchange of scientific information between the European Food Safety Authority (EF-SA), the public institutions responsible for food and feed safety in Germany and stakeholders from the business community, science and consumer associations.
