Oursafefood: Coordinated communication The German network of communication experts in the field of food safety

The German communication network Oursafefood brings together organisations working in the field of food and feed safety. The basis for the network is an initiative of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority), the "Coordinated Communication" project. This was formed as a result of the EU Transparency Regulation from 2019. Among other things, the regulation calls for stronger networking between national and European institutions for risk assessment and risk management in matters of food and feed safety as well as the establishment of mechanisms that promote coordination and cooperation between these institutions.

The network currently consists of German organisations that are active in the fields of activity of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority). In addition to food and feed safety, these also include the environment and animal and plant health. The organisations appoint a contact person to represent them in the network. The contact persons usually work in the communication and press and public relations departments. However, this is not mandatory. The following organisations are currently represented in the communication network:

• External Link:Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, BVLshort forGerman Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (food and feed, consumer products, plant protection products, veterinary drugs, genetic engineering)
• German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (food safety)
• External Link:Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, FLIshort forFriedrich Loeffler Institute (Animal Health)
• External Link:Julius Kühn Institute, JKIshort forJulius Kühn Institute (Cultivated plants)
• External Link:Max Rubner Institute, MRIshort forMax Rubner Institute (Nutrition and Food)
• External Link:Federal Environment Agency, UBAshort forGerman Environment Agency (environmental protection)
• External Link:Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety, LGL (food safety, health, animal health, occupational health and safety and product safety)

"Coordinated Communication" is the name of a project of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority), which has been implemented in close cooperation with participating member states of the European Union (EU) since 2023. The EU Transparency Regulation provides the legal basis.

The aim of the project is to network communication experts from national institutions in order to ensure coherent, transparent and precise communication on risks in the food chain to European consumers. This networking is to be implemented, for example, by the Member State Communication Coordinators in the Member States.

Concrete examples of coordinated communication are joint campaigns between EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority and the food safety authorities in the Member States. For example, the External Link:Safe2Eat campaign, which provides information about the European food safety system, or the joint video campaign on the External Link:difference between hazard and risk. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) has published accompanying External Link:FAQs.

The cross-border exchange of information on potential risks in the food chain is fundamental to strengthening food safety across Europe. Close networking makes it possible to exchange information and knowledge between institutions at national level as well as between national institutions within the EU and with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority). This cooperation and exchange is also of great importance in the area of risk communication. For example, best practices on current communication practices can be shared and concrete examples of successful measures can be presented.

Risk communication is an essential component of consumer protection and serves, among other things, to strengthen the trustworthy nature of the risk analysis process. It should also enable consumers to make informed decisions when dealing with certain risks.

Networking takes place at various levels. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) organises the exchange and has set up a microsite (Oursafefood.de) and a newsletter. The External Link:microsite is intended to serve as a central source of information for news in the field of food safety in Europe. This information platform provides news from European and German food safety organisations and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority). The platform is primarily aimed at communication experts and stakeholders such as media representatives. The newsletter summarises the news from the microsite External Link:oursafefood.de.

A further possibility for cooperation is the joint exchange in regular (online) meetings, workshops or events. These meetings serve to present the current status of the implementation of the "Coordinated Communication" project and to exchange best practices in risk communication. The aim is also to create the opportunity to invite colleagues from other EU countries or from EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority and to familiarise them with European perspectives on food safety issues through presentations. In order to further strengthen coordination and networking, the precise objectives, possible new participants and other basic framework conditions are to be set out in joint guidelines in future.

The microsite of the German EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority focal point External Link:oursafefood.de provides a wealth of information on the topics of food and feed safety as well as plant and animal health. In addition to the latest communications on current topics, it also contains information on the communication campaigns of the EU Member States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority). EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority provides communication materials for each campaign, for example for social media. Other services that are useful for risk communication are also presented, such as the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment World Almanac on Food Safety or the EU Barometer, which regularly analyses the development of opinion among the European population on political and social issues.

Organisations at federal and state level that are active in EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority's areas of responsibility (food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare, plant protection and plant health) and are interested in networking at communication level are welcome to contact the functional email address oursafefood@bfr.bund.de.

More information on networking at European and national level in the area of food safety is available on the External Link:oursafefood.de website and from the External Link:European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority). 

If you are interested in becoming part of the food safety communication network with your organisation, please contact the following e-mail address: oursafefood@bfr.bund.de.