Romania
Last updated on 19th of December 2023
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Law No. 150/2004 (with amendments) is the legal foundation for food and feed legislation in Romania. Infringement of food and feed regulations can lead to measures under criminal law and consumer damage claims under civil law, whereby the final decision rests with the courts. Government measures with regard to food safety are often based on scientific risk assessments.
In Romania there is no institutional separation of risk assessment and risk management. Not all risk assessments are published on the Internet.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
| Name | Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development |
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| Acronym | MADR |
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| Location | Bucharest |
| URL | http://www.madr.ro/en/ |
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) deals with agricultural policy and food safety in Romania. It prepares draft legislation in the area of food and feed of non-animal origin, residues of plant protection products and cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). MADR also conducts risk assessment in these fields. Activities of MADR with regard to plant protection products are supported by the National Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Health.
Ministry of Health
| Name | Ministry of Health |
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| Acronym | MS |
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| Location | Bucharest |
| URL | http://www.ms.ro |
The Ministry of Health (MS) is responsible mainly for public health protection and partially for food safety in Romania. The MS prepares draft legislation in the field of food safety and is responsible for official controls in some specific areas of food safety: baby food, novel foods, food supplements, food for populations with special nutritional requirements, food additives, enzymes and flavourings, treatment of food with ionising irradiation, health and nutrition claims, food contact materials as well as drinking and mineral water. The MS is also responsible for risk assessment in these areas.
National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority
| Name | National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority |
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| Acronym | ANSVSA |
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| Location | Bucharest |
| URL | http://www.ansvsa.ro |
The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) is subordinated to the Romanian Government, under the coordination of the prime minister. The ANSVSA manages at national level all the matters in the food safety area – from raw materials to consumers’ issues. The ANSVSA is responsible for official controls, preparation of draft legislation as well as preparation of risk assessments in the following areas: food and feed safety, contaminants, residues of plant protection products, import and export of animals and plant products, traceability and labelling of genetically modified food and feed, zoonoses, veterinary medicinal products and their residues, animal health and welfare and antimicrobial resistance. There are 3 National Reference Institutes that are subordinated to ANSVSA: the Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health, the Institute for Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health and the Institute for Control of Biological Products and Veterinary Medicines.
Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests
| Name | Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests |
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| Acronym | MMAP |
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| Location | Bucharest |
| URL | http://www.mmediu.ro/ |
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests (MMAP) deals with environmental policy and is the main competent authority for deliberate release of GMOs into environment. The MMAP authorises and controls the use of GMOs and plant protection products and monitors their impact on the environment. Authorisation of plant protection products in Romania requires the approval of three ministries: the MADR, MS and MMAP. The MMAP is also responsible for the sustainable use of pesticides.
National Authority for Consumer Protection
| Name | National Authority for Consumer Protection |
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| Acronym | ANPC |
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| Location | Bucharest |
| URL | http://www.anpc.ro |
The National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) monitors whether food, food advertising and food labelling comply with legal requirements of the food safety legislation. The ANPC also handles consumer complaints.
Regional and local levels
All Romanian competent authorities have subordinated institutions that operates at regional/county/local level. The county level has certain autonomous competencies and supervises the work of local authorities. The county offices of the competent authorities carry out official control activities in the area of food and feed safety, plant protection and plant health as well as veterinary inspections.
ANSVSA - At county level, there are 42 County Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorates – they implement the national control plan issued at central level. They also supervise the activity of the Zonal Sanitary Veterinary Circumscriptions (ZSVCs) and the Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Circumscriptions (SVFSCs).
MS - The National Institute of Public Health is subordinated to MS; at regional level there are 6 public health centers in Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Targu-Mures and Sibiu. At county level, the 42 County Public Health Directorates are responsible for the sanitary state inspection.
MADR - The National Phytosanitary Authority (NPA) subordinated to MARD co-ordinates monitoring programmes for pesticides residues in food of plant origin and is also the single central competent authority for plant health. The national network of MADR includes 42 County Agriculture and Rural Development Directorates.
ANPC - The ANPC has 8 regional commissary offices that include 41 territorial commissary offices, plus the commissary office for Consumers’ Protection in Bucharest. The ANPC also has an internal audit department.
MMAP - The National Environment Protection Agency and the National Environmental Guard are subordinated to MMAP.
