Difference between revisions of "Germany:Germany"

The central legal foundation for food legislation in Germany is the Food and Feed Code (Lebensmittel- und Futtermittelgesetzbuch), and the legislative responsibilities lie almost exclusively with the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and its subordinate authorities. Infringement of food 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 generally based on scientific risk assessments.

15 National Reference Laboratories (NRLs), active in the fields of food and feed safety as well as food hygiene, are attached to the BfR pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/625. They are NRLs for Salmonella, Monitoring of Marine Biotoxins, Foodborne Viruses, Listeria monocytogenes, Coagulase-positive Staphylococci including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Trichinella, Antimicrobial Resistance, Animal Proteins in Feed, Additives for Use in Animal Nutrition, Materials in Contact with Food, Food Additives and Aromas, Mycotoxins and Plant Toxins as well as Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Feed and Food, respectively. In addition to these NRLs based on EU law, other laboratories with a reference function are also attached to the BfR. These include the reference laboratory in the network of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the top appraisal body for the import control of wine in accordance with the wine monitoring regulation, zoonosis reporting, and the consultant laboratories for Leptospira, Yersinia as well as vibrios. The National Study Centre for Sequencing in Risk Assessment is also located at the BfR.