Lebensmittel Fotolia / Rawpixel.com

Food

Many paths – one goal: Safe food

The BVL contributes towards food safety with a wide range of measures. It grants authorisations and jointly coordinates monitoring programmes with the Federal States. Within the framework of the European rapid alert system, the BVL secures the flow of information between the EU and the Federal States. It is also the German contact point for the inspections of the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission. Apart from that, the BVL supports the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in crisis management.

Many topics, one goal

Das Bild zeigt eine Hand, die Puzzleteile zusammenfügen. Chaiyawat - Fotolia

Who does what?

From municipal administrations to the European Commission, a great number of authorities and institutions contribute to making food safer. The following text outlines some of the important players.

Show more

Das Bild zeigt eine Frau, die Trauben in ihrer Hand inspiziert. (Quelle: Marcus Gloger / BVL) Marcus Gloger / BVL

Official food control

Official food control checks that companies are complying with the legal provisions. The BVL prepares coordinated control plans as part of these checks.

Show more

Das Bild zeigt das Logo des RASFF. (Quelle: ec.europa.eu) ec.europa.eu

Alert and information systems

In order to ensure the high level of health protection within the European Union, various networks and systems were made available to the competent food monitoring authorities of the EU member states, which facilitate the cross-border exchange of …

Show more

Das Bild zeigt einen Stapel von Frachtcontainern. (Quelle: Ralf Gosch / Fotolia) Ralf Gosch / Fotolia

Cross-border trade

Businesses wanting to place food of animal origin on the market must be authorised by the competent authority, and are entered and published in the database of companies trading in animal foodstuffs kept by the BVL.

Show more

Das Bild zeigt einen Zeigefinger, der auf einer Computertastatur auf eine Taste mit einem Warenkorbzeichen drückt. (Quelle: momius / Fotolia) momius / Fotolia

G@ZIELT: Safe Shopping on the Internet

Since July 2013 the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has been hosting the Common Central Unit "Control of Food, Feed, Cosmetics, Consumer Goods and Tobacco Products Traded on the Internet", in short G@ZIELT.

Show more

Das Bild zeigt Hände, die Pillen aus ihrer Verpackung nehmen. (Quelle: Marcus Gloger/ BVL) Marcus Gloger/ BVL

Joint Commission of Experts on the Classification of Substances

With high professional and scientific authority, the commission drafts opinions on specific issues concerning the classification of substances which are placed on the market as foodstuffs/food ingredients.

Show more

HoA WG FS Botamochy - stock.adobe.com

Working Group „Food Supplements” of Heads of Food Safety Agencies

Members from 26 European states are developing a concept for the handling and classification of "other substances" with a nutritional or physiological effect that are used in or as food supplements.

Show more

Krisenmanagement im BVL Marcus Gloger / BVL

Crisis management

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) can take over co-ordinating functions in crisis management of food-borne disease outbreaks that affect more than one federal state.

Show more

Frischmilchautomat Heckenbach / BVL

FBO and Zoonoses

System in place for identification, epidemiological investigations and reporting of foodborne outbreaks.

Show more