Description of pictograms

The following pictograms, terms, and definitions are used in the World Food Safety Almanac to describe the various food safety institutions' areas of responsibility.

Pictogram	Responsibility	Description
	Animal feed	Substances or products, including additives, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed, intended to be used for oral feeding to animals (Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002).
	Animal health and welfare	All aspects of animal diseases and of the well-being of food-producing animals during breeding, rearing, transportation and slaughter (integral part of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy), as well as analysis of the impact that both the condition of the animals and their treatment can have on animal and human health.
	Biological hazards and zoonoses	Biological hazards: also known as biohazards. Biological hazards are substances with biological origin that threaten human health or the health of other organisms. Viral and microbial samples and biomedical waste can be biohazards. Zoonoses: diseases and/or infections which are naturally transmissible directly or indirectly between animals and humans (Directive 2003/99/EC).
	Biotechnology and genetic engineering	Biotechnology: the use of science and engineering together with biological agents to provide industrial products and services. Genetic engineering: all modern molecular biology techniques used to isolate, manipulate and transfer genes from one organism to another in order to create novel traits in plants, animals, bacteria and fungi.
	Contaminants	Substances that are not intentionally added to food but are present in food as a result of production (including operations carried out in crop husbandry, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine), manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or storage, or as a result of environmental contamination. Extraneous matter, such as insect fragments and animal hair, is not covered by this definition (Regulation (EEC) No. 315/93).
	Drinking water	All water, either in its original state or after treatment, intended for drinking, cooking, food preparation or other domestic purposes, regardless of its origin and whether it is supplied from a distribution network, from a tanker, or in bottles or containers. Drinking water includes water used in food production for the manufacture, processing, preservation or marketing of products or substances intended for human consumption, unless the competent national authorities are satisfied that the quality of the water cannot affect the wholesomeness of the food in its finished form (Directive 98/83/EC).
	Emerging risks	Risks resulting from newly identified hazards to which a significant exposure may occur, or from unexpected new or increased significant exposures and/or susceptibilities to known hazards.
	Environmental risk assessment (ERA)	A scientific process that identifies and evaluates stress to the environment in particular, to living microorganisms, habitats and ecosystems. ERA considers the impact on the environment caused by, for example, the introduction of GM plants, the use of certain substances in food, feed and plant protection products, or the introduction and spread of plant pests. ERA helps policy makers and regulators take sound decisions that protect the environment.
	Food contact materials and packaging	All materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, such as packaging and containers, kitchen equipment, cutlery and dishes. These can be made from a variety of materials including plastics, rubber, paper and metal. This category includes materials used in processing equipment, in production machinery, or in transport containers.
	Food ingredients	Chemical substances that are used as food additives, enzymes, flavourings and processing aids, as well as other substances intentionally added to food (commonly called ‘nutrient sources’).
	Food supplements	Foodstuffs whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet and which are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect. Food supplements are marketed in dose form, e.g. in capsules, pills, sachets of powder and drop dispensing bottles (Directive 2002/46/EC).
	Mineral water	Bottled water for human consumption (not for medicinal purposes) that is natural mineral water (groundwater that has emerged from the ground and has a certain mineral content) or, natural spring water (groundwater that has emerged from the ground, but that has a lower mineral content) or processed tap water.
	Nanotechnology	Field of applied sciences and technology involving the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale (typically below 100 nanometres). Nanotechnology products may have a substantial impact on the food and feed sector in the future. It may also be used in food packaging.
	Novel foods	Foods and food ingredients that have not been used for human consumption to a significant degree within the EU before 15 May 1997. Novel foods are assessed for safety before being approved for the EU market.
	Nutrition	The science of how diet relates to the body's need for sustenance.
	Plant health	A field concerned with ecosystem health, with a focus on plant pests (such as fungi, bacteria, viruses and insects) that damage food crops, natural vegetation and landscape plants. Such pests are often introduced to areas previously unaffected by plant imports and can have far-reaching economic, social and environmental consequences.
	Plant protection products or pesticides	Products consisting of or containing active substances and which are intended to protect plants or plant products from harmful organisms, to influence the life processes of plants (but not as a nutrient), to preserve plant products, to destroy undesired plants or parts of plants, or to check or prevent undesired growth of plants. Plant protection products refer to these products in the form in which they are supplied to the user (Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009).
	Residues of veterinary medicinal products	Substances contained in plants, plant products, edible animal products or drinking water that originate from the use of veterinary medicines. These substances may include metabolites, decomposition and reaction products.