The recent case of E-coli that has hits Europe, has shown that it is necessary to have a network of European food safety authority which protects citizens in these cases.
The Institute for Risk Assessment (German BfR) also for this reason has created an almanac of food security that provides a synthetic representation of the governmental structures in 33 European countries. "Smooth cooperation between state players in Europe strengthens food safety. If the stakeholders and structures in the European countries are known to all those concerned, then we will be able to work together even more effectively and avoid redundant work", said Professor Andreas Hensel .
As President of BfR and German member of the Advisory Forum of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for risk assessment of food and feed, both at national and European level.

A great work of over 100 pages, in which each of the 33 country profiles contain a diagram illustrating the structure of government authorities and a detailed description of duties and responsibilities of each institution.
The almanac says so food safety authorities in 33 states who are responsible for the evaluation of plant protection products, health claims, or zoonoses, and which ministries of Member States are responsible for the management and in areas such as the risks are communicated and how risk assessment and management of the same are institutionally separate.
The booklet is for anyone interested in food security structures in Europe, industry experts, the staff of the authorities to ensure food security but also to the media, parliamentarians, consumer associations to the same food industries.

The BfR, which is the focal EFSA point for Germany has prepared meticulously this work, working with the structures present in the other EU member states.

The Almanac of EU food safety can be downloaded at no cost to BfR in German and English HERE

Foltran Luca