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This is how Europe operates when it comes to food safety

28/2009, 29.10.2009

BfR publishes EU Food Safety Almanac

The state structures of food and feed safety in 30 European states are presented in the EU Food Safety Almanac published by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). "Smooth cooperation between the state players in Europe strengthens food safety. If the stakeholders and structures in the European countries are known to all those concerned, then we will be able to work together even more effectively and avoid the duplication of work", says Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. As President of BfR and the German member of the Advisory Forum of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), he is responsible both on the national and European level for the risk assessment of food and feed.

The short, transparent country profiles in the brochure present the main public authorities and expert committees in the 27 Member States and the associated countries Iceland, Norway and Switzerland which are involved in food safety. It also indicates their functions in the state legal system. The BfR EU Food Safety Almanac contains, for instance, information on which public authorities in each of the 30 states are responsible for the assessment of pesticides, health claims or zoonoses, which ministries are responsible in the Member States for the various aspects of management, how risks are communicated and the extent to which risk assessment and risk management are separated from each other institutionally.

The brochure is intended for everyone interested in finding out more about the legal structures and institutions of food safety in Europe, more particularly experts from practice like MPs, the staff of food authorities, the media, the food industry and the sciences.

BfR, the EFSA Focal Point for Germany, was supported in the preparation of this Almanac by the Focal Points in the other Member States. The EU Food Safety Almanac (German and English) can be downloaded free-of-charge from the BfR website. An order can also be placed for the brochure (again in German and English): Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Press Office, Thielallee 88-92, 14195 Berlin, Fax +49-(0)30-18412-4970, E-Mail: publikationen@bfr.bund.de

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