Risk based sampling and coordinated programmes Risk management structure in Germany Georg Schreiber BVL - Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food

Risk based sampling and coordinated programmes

Risk management structure in Germany

Georg SchreiberBVL - Federal Office of Consumer

Protection and Food Safety

Organisational chart on food safety in Germany

Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL)

• Coordination• Risk management

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)

• Scientific risk assessment • Risk communication

Cooperation

Data

DataScientific counsel

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)

• Competent national authority for food safety• Cooperation with the European Commission• Risk communication• Legislation

Scientific counsel

Federal research institutes

• Counsel

16 Federal States

http://www.bfr.bund.de/cd/template/index

http://www.bvl.bund.de/cln_007/nn_495478/DE/Home/homepage__node.html__nnn=true

Organisation of competent authorities

BVL: Coordination at national level, authorisations,

reports

European Commission coordination,

legislation

Inspections of FBOs,sampling, food law enforcement

Official expertise,

assessment of compliance

16 Federal States16 Federal States

> 400 supervision

authorities

> 400 supervision

authorities

35 official laboratories35 official laboratories

http://www.bvl.bund.de/cln_007/nn_495478/DE/Home/homepage__node.html__nnn=true

Page 4

BraunschweigBundesallee Head Office, Central Services (Legal Affairs, Administration)

Messeweg Plant Protection Products, Central Services (Information Technology)

BerlinMauerstraßePress Office, Food Safety

MittelstraßeVeterinary Drugs, Genetic Engineering

Diedersdorfer WegReference Laboratories

• approximately 500 employees

Basic Facts about the BVL

Page 5

Quality Manager

Gender Equality Officer

ZCentral

Services

Head Office President

BVL – Organisational structure

1Food Safety

2Plant

Protection Products

3Veterinary

Drugs

4Genetic

Engineering

5Analyses

1.1

Crisis Manage

ment

1.2

Safety of the Food

Chain

BVL - Risk Management in Food Safety

Page 6

“From Farm to Fork”Actions of BVL

(examples)

farms of origin plant protection products

veterinary drugsgenetically modified organism

manufacturers

coordination of control programsi.e. federal control program

wholesalers

Rapid Alert System in Food and Feed

retailerspress/public information

reports (i.e. about pesticide residues)

consumers

BVLFederal Ministry

(BMEL) BfR

16 FederalState Ministries

Ministerial Conferences

LAV

risk management risk assessment

communication

communicationconsultations on legislation and risk management

regional councils,regional authorities

official laboratories

food or feed companies

municipal and local

authorities

complaints of consumers

audits coordination

assignment

communication

experts‘ opinions

request for analysis

auditscoordination

registrationauthorisationofficial controls

regi

stra

tion

auth

oris

ation

offici

al c

ontr

ols

Coordination among authorities

General Administrative Procedures (AVV)

- Legal norms directed towards the administration (not to citizens or companies).

- Govern the competencies of Federal Government and Federal States in questions concerning food, feed, veterinary supervision and plant protection,

Examples for current AVVs:- AVV “Framework of food control“- AVV “Rapid alert system”- AVV “Data exchange”

- Substantiates demands of the European legislation for the German food control system where necessary.

Aims at a harmonised enforcement of food control throughout Germany,

Examples for the content of this AVV:- minimum number of samples to be analysed (5/1000

inhabitants/year),- criteria and model for the risk based control of establishments,- criteria for the risk based control of products,- risk based import controls of products of non-animal origin,- coordinated control programs,- measures in case of non-compliance,- crisis management,- information and communication system for food safety (FIS-VL)

AVV on principles for the enforcement of the official controls in the field of food and feed

AVV “Framework of Food Control“

Page 10

Coordinated Federal control plan

Aims• Survey of compliance with legal requirements including the

protection of consumers’ interests• Collection of data for the review of current questions as

well as for the specification of new regulation limits

It consists of• Programs for control of products and establishments,• Programs concerning food, cosmetics and commodities,• Programs covering the analyses of chemical and

microbiological parameters, the application of specific treatment (radiation e.g.), labelling of products


Examples

• Labelling of azo-colours in food (Annex V of Reg 1333/2008)

• Dioxin in beef meat from extensively held cattle

• Microbiological status of … near “best before date”

• Sole fish in restaurants labelled as “sole”

• Labelling of “joghurt” made of oils of plant origin in restaurants

• Traceability in SMEs

• Nickel in toys made of metal

• Cosmetics labelled as “free of parfum”

Page 11

Coordinated Federal control plan (cont.)


Registered users may upload, download, print or edit documents via web platform (according to their rights).

Working groups, committees etc. have their own work spaces.

Information and Communication System (FIS-VL)

Report to

BMELV

Report to

BMELV

queriesqueries

formats

BVL

assessment, queries,

evaluation, report on results

Request for supportRequest

for support

EU intends to define a new exposure limit for fumonisins

datadata

addendaaddenda

Enquiry to memberstates

Enquiry to memberstates

Request for details

data format

Request for details

data format

Report to EU

Report to EU

16 Federal States

evaluation of Federal States‘ databases

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) asks BVL and Federal States for support

AVV „Data management“

National contact point of RASFF in BVL

• Upstream- Contact point for Commission. Member States and Third

countries

• Downstream- Contact point for 16 German Federal States

AVV „Rapid alert system“

1

VSMK decision 09/2012:

Crisis coordination (federal government and Länder)

Crisis council (political level)Coordination of communication

Crisis task force (operative level)Data-

management

Task Force

Situationroom

Scientificrisk

assessment

Government and Länder authorities

Crisis coordination

Fight against food fraud

• Interdisciplinary approach (participation of experts in the fields of food and feed safety, economy, statistics, customs and police services and public prosecutor‘s offices)

• Analyses of incidences in the past, evaluation of websites

• Coordination of activities on national level (coordinated programs)

• Publication of official methods for tests on authenticity

Development of early warning system

Early warning system

Possible elements

• Issue monitoring

• Data analyses on international level

• Monitoring of new technologies

• Interviews with experts from industry, trade and control bodies

• Support of whistle blowers

• Evaluation of facts on a scientific basis

Coordinated control programmes (1)


Jahr Title of the programmes

2006 Carbon monoxide treatment of salmon and tuna

2006 Increased water content in boiled ham - improper addition of foreign protein

2007 Use of cheese imitations without labeling

2008 Labelling of vanilla in vanilla ice cream, vanilla pudding and custard

2008 "Low in sugar", "sugar free" and "no sugar added" in accordance with the Health Claim Regulation

2009 Use of starch in boiled sausages

2009 Quality of boiled ham and ham imitations in the catering


Coordinated control programmes (2)

Jahr Title of the programmes

2011 Fish species identification in fish portions labelled as sole in gastronomy

2012 Boiled sausage without labelling the use of poultry meat

2012 Imitated yogurt in gastronomy (yogurt with vegetable fat)

2014 Analysis of meat, meat products and ready meals which are labelled as "beef" on other, non-declared species (except for horse meat)

2014 Use of MSM (mechanically seperated meat) in finely minced boiled sausage with emphasizing indication of quality

Support of whistle blowers


Special task forces (example: Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority Bavaria, LGL)

• Established as a result of the rotten meat scandal in 2006

• Team of experts: Food inspectors, butchers, layers, computer specialists, food technologists, agriculture engineers, administration officers etc.

• Joint controls of food establishments together with the local food control authorities

• Competence for supraregional measures, enforcement competence

• In five years more than 1630 inspections, disclosure of more than 170 cases of serious deficiencies like food fraud


G@ZIELT Central unit “Control of e-commerce of food, feed, cosmetics, commodities and tobacco” since 1 July 2013

• Decision by all Länder Ministers of Consumer Protection– Online research conducted by a central unit (6 member staff)– Financed by the Länder– Administrative agreement between federal government and

Länder

• Objective:

Create an internet marketplace with a similar level of product safety as on conventional markets

22

Control of e-commerce

Actions and measures of G@ZIELT

Identification of risky products

Search of products offered in German language

Identification of online traders situated in Germany

Subject them to official risk based control

Allowing consumers to make well-informed choices

Trust marks, information material

Information of merchants about their responsibilities/obligations

Information material

European cooperation

FLEP WG e-commerce

23


Actions and measures of G@ZIELT

EU &

Third countries

Requests by Länder

Annual plan (Länder/BVL)

Product searches

Other requests

Transfer acc. to §38a LFGB

Xpider (BZSt)

Product searches

Company dataG@ZIELT

Data transfer

(Länder/BVL)

24


25

Annual plan

• Elaborated in the run-up to the following year – Researches concerning vendors of specific product groups– Products which may have a certain risk

• Annual plan 2014:– Fresh meat/fish (focus: transport to the consumer)– Tattoo ink sellers– Products containing algea– Tooth bleaching agents


Annual plan

Examples for fresh meat products sold online

26


Annual plan


27

Cooling packs do not always ensure sufficient temperature control

(Source: Task Force Lebensmittelsicherheit Hessen)


Annual plan


28

no cooling packs cold chain interrupted



Annual plan


29

Hygiene?



Seite 30

Information

• Online merchants are responsible for the safety of their products

– BVL: http://www.bvl.bund.de/internethandel– Information for companies/sellers on eBay,

amazon.de and seal providers

• Consumers can minimise risks– Buying from shops with seals– Check contacts– Be careful with unrealistic promises– Be careful with purely online products– Flyer with online shopping advice:

www.bvl.bund.de/flyer_internethandel

30


http://www.bvl.bund.de/internethandel

http://www.bvl.bund.de/flyer_internethandel

10th December 2013 Page 31Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety

The spirit of freedom of information acts

from

Professional confidentiality

Principle of official secrecy

Principle of restricted file access

to

Freedom of information

Transparent administration

Access to files for every citizen

Development

Information of consumers

1 Page 32F

Public warnings on food products

• Authorities shall inform consumers

• risk to public health, misleading or disgusting

• Entrepreneur has to inform the public

• If food may have reached the consumer



• Latest warnings: ten most recent warnings• All warnings: all relevant warnings• Warnings in Federal States: all warnings of a Federal State

www.lebensmittelwarnung.de

1 Page 34F

For each warning details with all relevant information are given on a subpage

(Batch no, expiry date, ect).

Information allows consumer to easily identify the product and its health hazard

www.lebensmittelwarnung.de


Information on pesticide residues

• Exceeding legal maximum residue levels of pesticides– Pressure of NGO towards retailers and authorities– Increased official controls– Action of retailers

• Task Force in BVL– Dialogue with all stakeholders to identify problems– Find solutions

• Regular publication of control results– Exceedance rate for German and EU products below 1 %



Clarity and truth about food products www.lebensmittelklarheit.de

• Consumers can complain about specific products

• Producer is allowed to respond to complain

Consumer organisation


Thank you for your attention!

Contact:Dr. Georg SchreiberBVL - Safety of the Food [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Risk based sampling and coordinated programmes Risk management structure in Germany Georg Schreiber BVL - Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food