Germany:Germany/25/en

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is the national management body for risks along the food chain. 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. BVL runs a watching and warning system for crisis prevention. In times of crisis, it serves as a situation centre for the crisis management group of BMEL and acts as information hub. It regularly organises crisis exercises with all relevant players. BVL is the regulatory authority for plant protection products and veterinary medicinal products. BVL collaborates with risk managing bodies around the globe, and is involved in standard-setting at national and international level. Together with the Federal States, BVL coordinates programmes for control of food and of plant protection products, and monitoring, including monitoring of zoonoses. BVL collects and analyses data of official food and feed control as well as foodborne outbreaks and forwards them to EU. BVL manages the Official Collection of Methods of Analysis. 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. It serves as the contact point for the EU Food Fraud network. BVL is also the national competent authority in the EU authorisation of food additives, -flavourings and –enzymes. 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) as well as the Central Unit for Surveillance of Online Trade of Plant Protection Products (ZOPf). BVL also supports competent authorities and relevant business associations in export matters and accompanies the registration process of establishments exporting in third countries.