España
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Última actualización realizada el 14 de Noviembre de 2023
* Institución anfitriona del Punto Focal español de la EFSA. Para obtener más información sobre la red de Puntos Focales de la EFSA, visite su página web [1].
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El Reglamento (CE) nº 178/2002, junto con la Ley 17/2011, de 5 de julio, de seguridad alimentaria y nutrición, son los cimientos de la seguridad alimentaria en España.
La Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN OA), junto con el Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA) y el Ministerio de Sanidad, son los responsables a nivel nacional de la coordinación de los sistemas de control en materia de seguridad alimentaria. Las Comunidades Autónomas por su parte, son responsables de la aplicación de dichos controles oficiales en materia de seguridad alimentaria dentro de sus competencias.
Toda la información relativa a la organización del sistema de control alimentario en España está incluida en el Plan Nacional de Control Oficial de la Cadena Alimentaria (PNCOCA 2021-2025), disponible en el siguiente enlace: link.
La AESAN OA es un Organismo Autónomo, adscrito orgánicamente al Ministerio de Consumo, y funcionalmente al Ministerio de Consumo, al Ministerio de Sanidad y al Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación.
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
| Nombre | Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación |
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| Acrónimo | MAPA |
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| Lugar | Madrid |
| URL | https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/ |
El Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA) es responsable de la política agraria, la sanidad animal, la seguridad alimentaria en la producción primaria, la fitosanidad, el bienestar animal, la calidad de los alimentos y el control del fraude en la industria alimentaria. El MAPA desarrolla proyectos de legislación nacional y es responsable de la coordinación de los controles oficiales, incluidos los controles de importación y exportación dentro del ámbito de su competencia.
El MAPA es el punto de contacto nacional para el fraude alimentario y para el RASFF (piensos), y es un usuario del Sistema de Asistencia Administrativa y Cooperación.
El MAPA también es responsable de las evaluaciones de riesgos de los residuos de productos fitosanitarios y de la alimentación animal, y también se encarga de regular el uso de productos fitosanitarios.
The scope of MAPA’s competencies also covers national decisions on GMOs, through the Interministerial Council on GMOs, on zoonoses as well as on the distribution, prescription, dispensing and use of veterinary medical products. It is also the regulatory authority for pesticides (registration, authorisation and monitoring of use). However, before MAPA authorises the use of pesticides, AESAN OA is consulted with regard to residues in foods, the Ministry of Health is consulted to assess the safety of the user, and MAPA assesses the efficacy of the pesticide in question and its safety for the environment.
MAPA has four National Reference Laboratories, in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625:
- Central Veterinary-Animal Health Laboratory (Algete)
- Central Veterinary-Molecular Genetic Laboratory
- Central Animal Health Laboratory (Santa Fé)
- EU Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness and Bluetongue.
Ministry of Health
| Name | Ministry of Health |
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| Acronym | MS |
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| Location | Madrid |
| URL | https://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/sanidad/portada/home.htm |
The Ministry of Health (MS) deals with public health policy. Furthermore, the Sub-Directorate General of Foreign Health, a dependent body in this Ministry’s General Directorate of Public Health, is responsible for food safety concerning imports and exports of food, including products of animal and non-animal origin and composite products, food contact materials, and animal by-products for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices for medical purposes.
The regulatory authority for medicines and medical products for human and veterinary use is the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, a dependent body in the Ministry of Health.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs
| Name | Ministry of Consumer Affairs |
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| Acronym | MC |
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| Location | Madrid |
| URL | https://www.consumo.gob.es/en |
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MC) is responsible for consumer protection, the development of consumer affairs policies, and defending the rights of the consumers. It also drafts national legislation and is the contact point for RAPEX and a user of the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation System (AAC system). Within the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, AESAN OA is responsible for all matters relating to food safety.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MC) is responsible for the proposal and execution of the National Government's policy on consumer affairs, consumer rights protection and gambling activities at national level.
The General Secretariat of Consumer Affairs and Gambling of the MC is made up of three bodies: The General Directorate of Consumer Affairs, the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling and AESAN, an autonomous body which is organically attached to this general secretariat. The Head of the General Secretariat is also the President of AESAN OA.
The General Directorate of Consumer Affairs (DGC) is responsible for consumer rights protection and the development of consumer affairs policies. It establishes and promotes consumer protection policies in coordination with the autonomous communities (Spanish regions). The DGC is a user of the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation System (AAC system) for non-compliances regarding food mislabeling and food quality and AAC-FF for food fraud cases, both systems integrated in the iRASFF system. It is also the contact point of Rapid Exchange of Information System (RAPEX) for unsafe consumer products and consumer protection.
Spanish Agency for Food Safety & Nutrition
| Name | Spanish Agency for Food Safety & Nutrition |
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| Acronym | AESAN OA |
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| Location | Madrid |
| URL | https://www.aesan.gob.es/en/AECOSAN/web/home/aecosan_inicio.htm |
The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN OA) is the competent authority for the coordination of food safety and nutrition risk assessment and risk management and communication. AESAN’s field of work extends beyond food safety and healthy and sustainable nutrition to physical activity and healthy eating habits.
AESAN OA is supported by a Scientific Committee comprised of 20 independent external experts in the area of food and nutrition who are commissioned to draft risk assessment reports. The Scientific Committee issues scientific reports on biological, chemical, technological and nutritional hazards. Risk assessments reports are published in Spanish and English on AESAN’s website.
AESAN OA is responsible for the risk management of biological, chemical and nutritional hazards, and is the competent authority for all draft legislations relating to food safety and nutrition in Spain, which include the transposition of EU directives into domestic legislation and the preparation of draft legislations at national level.
It is also the competent authority for the coordination of official controls in Spain, and for the coordination and programming of official controls on food safety and nutrition. It also prepares the Multiannual National Control Plan of Spain in coordination with other authorities involved in food safety, called Plan Nacional de Control Oficial de la Cadena Alimentaria (PNCOCA), available in English in this link, and also drafts its corresponding annual report.
AESAN OA acts as the national contact point for RASFF and is a user of the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation System (AAC system).
The remit of AESAN OA also includes the design and management of communication strategies in relation to food safety and nutrition, establishing precise mechanisms that facilitate transparent communication of food safety and nutrition risks to the general public, the scientific community and other involved or interested groups.
AESAN OA has two Reference Laboratories in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625. These are the National Reference Laboratory (National Centre for Food (CNA)) and one Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins (RLMB) which also acts as a European Reference Laboratory.
Regional and local levels
From an administrative point of view, Spain is organised in 17 autonomous communities, two autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla) and 52 provinces. Some regional food safety authorities conduct risk assessments at regional level. The implementation of official controls for food and feed, animal health, animal welfare and plant health is the responsibility of the regional authorities.
