Finland:Finland/fi

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Suomessa elintarvikelaki on keskeisin ruoan lainsäädäntöä säätelevä taho. Elintarvikelainsäädännön rikkomisella voi olla rikosoikeudellisia seuraamuksia tai kuluttajavahinkovaatimuksia oikeudessa. Tieteellinen riskinarviointi toimii usein perustana elintarviketurvallisuuteen liittyville hallintotoimenpiteille, mutta lopulliset päätökset toimenpiteiden laillisuudesta tehdään kuitenkin tarpeen niin vaatiessa tuomioistuimissa.

Vaikka Suomessa tehtävästä riskinarvioinnista ja riskinhallinnasta vastaavat osin samat organisaatiot, riskinarviointi ja riskinhallinta ovat erotettu toisistaan ja riskinarviointia tehdään riskinhallinnasta erillään (riippumattomasti).

Suurin osa riskinarvioinneista on julkisesti saatavilla.

Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö

Nimi	Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö
Lyhenne	MMM
Toiminnot	Maatalouspolitiikka, ruoka- ja rehuturvallisuus Riskinhallinta Codex yhteyshenkilö
Vastuualueet
Sijainti	Helsinki
URL	https://mmm.fi/etusivu

Ministerial responsibility for food and feed safety is centralised in Finland within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MMM). It bears the policy and legislative responsibility. The MMM's responsibility for animal products encompasses all processing stages except distribution.

The Ruokavirasto is a specialist authority within the portfolio of the MMM. It is responsible for planning, steering, developing and undertaking food control on a national basis. It is also responsible for national risk assessments related to food, feed, animal health and plant health. The portfolio of the MMM also encompasses the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), whose remit is to engage in research concerning agriculture and food economy. Luke also focusses on the improvement of farm animal welfare and risk assessments related to it.

There are three National Reference Laboratories attached to the MMM, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004.

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Name	Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Acronym	STM
Activities	Nutrition policy Risk management Risk communication
Responsibilities
Location	Helsinki
URL	http://stm.fi/en/frontpage

In the food sector, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) deals with public health and nutrition policy, including legislation on drinking water, GMO propagation, irradiation and radioactivity. The Board of Gene Technology at STM is responsible for coordinating activities under the EC genetic engineering directives. In addition to this, the STM has coordinated an interdisciplinary network of administrative liaison officers who work on issues related to the safe application of nanotechnology.

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) is a specialist authority within the portfolio of the STM. The portfolio of the STM also encompasses other government authorities such as the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), which undertakes research on public health and conducts nutritional risk assessments, and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), responsible for environmental risk assessments and other tasks.

Finnish Food Authority

Name	Finnish Food Authority
Acronym	Ruokavirasto
Activities	Risk assessment Risk management Risk communication Research EFSA Focal Point RASFF contact point
Responsibilities
Location	Seinäjoki, several regional seats
URL	https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/

Ruokavirasto (Finnish Food Authority), established in 2019, continues the activities of the Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira). Ruokavirasto operates under the MMM and is the central authority in the field of food and feed safety in Finland. Ruokavirasto plays a leading role in the development and implementation of the national food control programme covering the food chain from “farm to fork”. Some of the inspections are carried out directly by Ruokavirasto, but the main responsibility for the inspections is assigned to regional and municipal authorities.

Ruokavirasto is also responsible for scientific risk assessments and conducts research on food safety. The risk assessments are conducted independently from risk management. Ruokavirasto also acts as the link to consumers and organises risk communication in the field of food safety.

The Finnish Zoonosis Centre located within Ruokavirasto forms a cooperation body between Ruokavirasto and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). This ensures close cooperation between relevant experts in the field of food safety as well as animal and public health. The centre coordinates the monitoring of zoonoses, foodborne outbreaks, and antimicrobial resistance and also compiles the results.

Ruokavirasto’s area of work extends beyond food safety to include, for instance, veterinary medicinal products. The regulatory agency for veterinary drugs, however, is the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea).

Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency

Name	Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency
Acronym	Tukes
Activities	Risk assessment Risk management Risk communication
Responsibilities
Locations	Helsinki, Tampere, Rovaniemi
URL	http://www.tukes.fi/en

The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) supervises and promotes technical safety and conformity, together with consumer and chemicals safety in Finland. Tukes is the regulatory agency for pesticides and it assesses the risks of pesticide residues. Tasks related to pesticides are under the remit of Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health

Name	National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health
Acronym	Valvira
Activities	Risk assessment Risk management
Responsibilities
Location	Helsinki
URL	http://www.valvira.fi/web/en/front-page

In the field of food safety, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) is responsible for the supervision of tap water. In addition to this, Valvira supervises pesticide residues in alcohol products.

Finnish Customs

Name	Finnish Customs
Activities	Risk management
Responsibilities
Location	Helsinki
URL	http://www.tulli.fi/en/frontpage

Finnish Customs (under the Ministry of Finance) is the competent authority for the import of food of non-animal origin. (Ruokavirasto controls the import of animal-based foodstuffs such as meat, fish and milk). Customs also inspects some of the so-called ‘combined foodstuffs’, which include refined animal-based ingredients in addition to ingredients of a plant origin.

Regional and local levels

Finland is divided into six regions which are managed by Regional State Administrative Agencies. These regional agencies are under the Ministry of Finance. The regions are further subdivided into self-governing municipalities. Food control as well as control of animal health and welfare is carried out by 62 local environmental health care control units which report to the municipalities.

In addition, controls in the area of animal identification, registration, animal feed and plant health are carried out on behalf of Ruokavirasto by 15 regional Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (supervised by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy).

Article 36 institutions

Institutions involved in the EFSA network pursuant to Article 36 Reg. (EC) No. 178/2002

University of Helsinki (Helsingin yliopisto) Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luonnonvarakeskus – Luke) Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) (EFSA Focal Point) Finnish Environment Institute (Suomen ympäristökeskus – SYKE) National Institute for Health and Welfare (Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos – THL) University of Turku (Turun yliopisto) Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Turvallisuus- ja kemikaalivirasto – Tukes)