Translations:Germany:Germany/25/en

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is the national management body for risks along the food chain. In the field of food safety, BVL supports the cooperation between the BMEL, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal States. BVL runs a watching and warning system for crisis prevention. In cases of incidents or crises, it serves as situation centre and supports for example the crisis unit of BMEL. BVL regularly organises crisis exercises with all relevant players. BVL is the regulatory authority for plant protection products and veterinary medicinal products. Accordingly, it collaborates with risk assessment and risk managing bodies around the globe, and is involved in standard-setting at national and international level. In cooperation with the Federal States, BVL coordinates programmes for control of food and of plant protection products, and monitoring, including monitoring of zoonoses. BVL collects and analyses data of official food and feed control as well as foodborne outbreaks and forwards them to EU. BVL manages the Official Collection of Methods of Analysis. It collects, analyses and reports data on the volume of sales of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products. BVL is the German national contact point for audits of the European Commission, for animal welfare during transport, for the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) as well as the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation System (AAC) of the European Union, and emergency contact point for the FAO/WHO INFOSAN network of food safety authorities. In this role secures the flow of information between the EU and the Federal States. It serves as the contact point for the EU AGRI-Food Fraud Network. BVL is also the national competent authority in the EU authorisation of food additives, food flavourings and food enzymes. The BVL is also the German competent authority in the EU-wide authorization procedures for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings as well as for genetically modified food and feed. In context of the latter, it carries out risk assessments. On behalf of the Federal States, BVL hosts the Common Central Units, Control of Food, Feed, Cosmetics, Consumer Goods and Tobacco Products Traded on the Internet’ (G@ZIELT) as well as the Central Unit for Surveillance of Online Trade of Plant Protection Products (ZOPf) and the portal lebensmittelwarnung.de. BVL also supports competent authorities and relevant business associations in export matters and accompanies the registration process of establishments exporting in third countries.