The main focus of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is on risk management. 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. Together with the federal states, BVL coordinates programmes for control of food and monitoring, including monitoring of zoonoses. On behalf of the federal states, BVL hosts the Common Central Unit ‘Control of Food, Feed, Cosmetics, Consumer Goods and Tobacco Products Traded on the Internet’ (G@ZIELT). BVL is the German national contact point for the inspections of the European Commission, 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 in this role secures the flow of information between the EU and the Federal States. In times of crisis, it serves as a situation centre for the crisis management group of BMEL, and regularly organises crisis exercises with all relevant players. BVL collects and analyses data of official food and feed control and forwards them to EFSA. It serves as the contact point for the EU Food Fraud network. BVL also supports competent authorities and food associations in export matters and accompanies the registration process of food business operators in third countries.
In Germany, the federal states are responsible for food control. In most federal states, food control is divided into three levels: At the uppermost level, the responsible ministry coordinates the food control. Below that, the provincial authorities or the regional government offices are responsible for the supervisory control of the food control authorities in the district or municipal authorities (‘Kreise und Kreisfreie Städte’). These local offices for food and veterinary control carry out the investigations locally.
Latest revision as of 10:06, 28 September 2023
In Germany, the federal states are responsible for food control. In most federal states, food control is divided into three levels: At the uppermost level, the responsible ministry coordinates the food control. Below that, the provincial authorities or the regional government offices are responsible for the supervisory control of the food control authorities in the district or municipal authorities (‘Kreise und Kreisfreie Städte’). These local offices for food and veterinary control carry out the investigations locally.
