What is PFAS all about?

15-Jul-2024 - Per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) are persistent industrially produced compounds that can accumulate in the environment and the body. Recently, they have increasingly become the subject of public debate due to potential health risks. Nevertheless, the majority of the population is not ...

Global standards in food safety: BfR Summer Academy

Over 700 participants from 72 countries learn and network

02-Jul-2024 - New foods land on supermarket shelves every day. Some of the products have come a long way. The variety of foods is constantly growing due to imports and exports, which also increases the requirements for scientific assessments and the communication of health risks. But how is the legal and ...

BfR software FoodChain-Lab enables rapid action in the event of disease outbreaks

Prepare for the unexpected: World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2024

11-Jun-2024 - Every year, one in ten people worldwide falls ill as a result of impurity (contaminated) food. The World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2024 therefore draws attention to the importance of safe food and the challenges that still exist under the motto “Prepare for the unexpected”. Pathogenic ...

World Food Safety Day shines spotlight on global importance of quality food

BfR researches complex fingerprinting methods to detect food counterfeits

07-Jun-2021 - The United Nations World Food Safety Day will take place for the third time on 7 June 2021. The motto of the day of action, that safe food benefits people, the planet and the economy directly and in the long term, concerns everyone. "Providing high-quality food and feed safely every day is a ...

More salmonella infections in Europe

Hygiene rules help to prepare poultry safely

30-Apr-2021 - In recent months, over three hundred cases of salmonellosis have occurred in various European countries and Canada, which are linked and in the United Kingdom have been partly traced back to frozen breaded poultry meat. They were caused by infections with the bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis, ...

When the crisis is here

International crisis exercise prepares for the worst case scenario

02-Sep-2019 - Global supply chains do not stop at national borders. For example, eggs contaminated with the insecticide fipronil reached Europe and Asia in 2017. EHEC pathogens in food led to disease and death in several EU countries in 2011. "The free movement of goods in Europe and increasing imports from ...

BfR strengthens consumer health protection worldwide

BfR training on food safety

19-Aug-2019 - Whether honeydew melon, cinnamon stick or beef steak: until a food item is on the supermarket shelf, it was often transported across many national borders. Which health risks must be taken into account? How can these best be assessed and limited in the light of global flows of goods? The annual ...

Plant protection products: More clarity about residues in food

German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment proposes new indicator to identify risks in order to improve consumer safety

25-Jun-2019 - To what extent are residues of plant protection products contained in food? With a new orientation value (status indicator) established within the scope of the National Action Plan (NAP) for the sustainable use of plant protection products, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) ...

Foodstuffs in the EU are subject to the strictest standards

EFSA's new campaign shows food safety system in the EU

10-May-2019 - Under the slogan "EU and My Food", the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a new campaign to describe the food safety system in the EU. Its standards are the highest in international comparison. EFSA's initiative focuses on the areas of food production and processing, livestock ...

Together against food fraud

25-Apr-2019 - For high safety standards worldwide: Federal Institute for Risk Assessment strengthens cooperation with Chinese sister organisation To prevent the growing world trade in food, consumer goods and cosmetics from becoming a risk for consumers, there should be uniform and high safety standards ...