About the Almanac

Almanac- What is it about?

With this online World Food Safety Almanac, we hope to reach many people and to provide all of them interesting insights into the world of global food and feed safety. We hope that it helps to learn about the competent institutions and to identify cooperation partners for international projects quickly and precisely. The Almanac describes responsible public institutions and their administrative structures of many different countries. It aims to harmonise existing methods and processes and to avoid duplication of work.

Why do we believe it is necessary?

The food products we commonly consume are so much a part of our daily life that we hardly think about how much of it originates from other countries. The globalisation of food production and food trading allows for more and more consumer choice. However, it complicates consumer health protection because food and feed safety has to be guaranteed along global supply chains that are increasingly complex. Consequently, stricter requirements have to be met with regard to scientific risk assessments, risk management, and risk communication. Food and feed safety today can only be ensured by taking an international approach, amongst others, through close cooperation and collaboration of different countries and organisations with their competent institutions.

A short journey through the Almanac’s history

Since 2009, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) publishes the EU Food Safety Almanac in several languages as a printed copy and as a digital Pdf. In 2017 a European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Food Safety Almanac and a ‘Food Safety Almanac - Special edition: Community of Portuguese Language Countries’ were also released. The latest edition of the EU Food Safety Almanac was published in August 2021. In order to keep the information up to date and to respond to the dynamics in the field of food and feed safety, the BfR developed the online World Food Safety Almanac in 2021.

How can I contribute?

If you wish to add your food and feed safety institution(s) to the World Food Safety Almanac, please send a request via this website or contact the BfR directly to request the access data. With the access data you will be able to create your country profile, to update the page at any time and add translations into different languages. The BfR remains the administrator of the World Food Safety Almanac, however, each country/institution/organisation is responsible for the contents of its own profile. We particularly engage all countries and competent organisations to enter and update their country or organisation profiles. We hope to expand the World Food Safety Almanac in the future and to make this platform a comprehensive reference tool for the whole world.

Where do I get further information?

Please go to How to Read for further instructions.

If you wish to order a printed copy, or download the Almanac as a pdf, please click here.

EU Food Safety Almanac 2021