When food makes you ill – From burden to solutions World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2026
What it's about:
One in ten people worldwide falls ill each year as a result of food contaminated with, for example, bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. Yet these cases can largely be prevented through targeted measures along the food chain, based on scientific data. To mark World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2026, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is highlighting its digital tool, the ‘Contaminant Transfer Predictor’ (ConTrans). It supports risk management by helping to predict the transfer of undesirable substances from feed to foods of animal origin. It also makes it easier to simulate contamination scenarios. “Reliable data forms the basis for effective consumer health protection,” says BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment President Professor Dr Dr Dr h.c. Andreas Hensel. “Tools such as ConTrans demonstrate how scientific findings can help to identify health risks at an early stage and derive targeted measures – very much in the spirit of World Food Safety Day.”
This year’s theme for the campaign day is ‘From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere’, drawing attention to the importance of reliable data in combating foodborne diseases. What is the concentration of undesirable substances that pass from feed into animal food products? How long does this actually take? And when can we expect meat, eggs or milk to be ‘clean’ again after switching to uncontaminated feed? The BfR’s ConTrans software helps to assess whether maximum levels of substances in food are being exceeded and whether health risks are therefore to be expected. This makes it possible, for example, to determine the concentration of aflatoxins in cow’s milk.
Aflatoxins are mould toxins that can occur particularly in plant-based foods, but also in foods of animal origin such as milk. They have a high carcinogenic potential and are genotoxic, meaning they damage genetic material. Consequently, maximum levels apply to them in food. Companies are legally obliged to take appropriate measures to ensure that these maximum levels are not exceeded in the food they produce. Food safety laboratories carry out regular checks to verify this.
Cows can take up aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) through their feed. This is then converted into aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in the liver. While most of it is excreted through bile and urine, some of it can also enter the milk. Cows that produce a comparatively large amount of milk consequently pass a proportionally higher amount of AFM1 into their milk. There is therefore a higher transfer rate.
With the help of ConTrans, researchers at the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment have now developed a model that enables the relationship between milk yield and transfer rate to be predicted more accurately. This helps users determine the tolerable level of AFB1 in feed in order to ensure compliance with the maximum levels of aflatoxin M1 in milk. This can also be a useful tool for the regulatory authorities of the German federal states ("Laender") and for regulatory bodies worldwide in assessing the tolerable concentrations of aflatoxins in feed.
The impact of climate change on food safety is also being discussed as part of the international theme day. Using the model developed at the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, preventive measures can already be devised for regions where feed crops potentially contaminated with aflatoxins may only become a factor as a result of changing climatic conditions. In keeping with the motto ‘From burden to targeted solutions’, this enables proactive action.
Further information on ConTrans and the model can be found on the External Link:BfR’s website.
The role that food safety-related data plays in the implementation of scientifically sound measures was also discussed at a meeting held as part of this year’s World Food Safety Day. From 3 to 4 June 2026, international experts met in Bosnia and Herzegovina to exchange views on topics such as the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in food safety.
What is World Food Safety Day?
To raise awareness of the importance of safe food, the United Nations has designated 7 June as ‘World Food Safety Day’, which has had a new theme every year since 2018.
Further information:External Link: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-food-safety-day/2026
Further information on the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment website on the topic of food safety
BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment press release on the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment computer programme ‘ConTrans’
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/press-release/from-the-trough-to-the-plate-digitally-calculated/
BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment communication: How much mould toxin from cattle feed ends up in milk?
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/notification/how-much-mould-toxin-from-cattle-feed-ends-up-in-milk/
BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment press releases on World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2025
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/press-release/science-in-action/
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent body operating under the remit of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH). It works to protect public health through preventive measures in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment advises the Federal Government and the German federal states ("Laender") on issues relating to food and feed safety, chemical safety and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.