"Networks are the key to success"

The Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) celebrated its 15th anniversary last Thursday in Braunschweig with a colloquium. President Helmut Tschiersky made it clear in his speech to approximately 100 guests that food safety was no longer a local or national issue. Global flows of goods also involve the risks of foreign regions, to which the authorities would have to find solutions. "We at the BVL have accepted the challenge and are working on the develoment of suitable instruments," explained Dr. Tschiersky.

"From my point of view, building networks is the key to success when it comes to consumer health protection," said Dr. Helmut Tschiersky. Image: BVL

The BVL was founded in 2002 following the BSE crisis and the restructuring of healthcare protection. For the first time, risk management tasks along the food supply chain were managed by one authority. Since then, crisis management has been a core task of the BVL. There were also some challenges, as President Tschiersky recalled in his lecture at the Forum at the Johann Heinrich von Thunen Institute. During the EHEC crisis in 2011, a task force established in the BVL with specialists from various authorities and institutions proved to be an effective tool with the help of which the Norovirus outbreak in the Autumn of 2012 could be quickly resolved.

For Tschiersky, such networking of expertise, which was also launched across the EU in the wake of the EU's meat scandal in 2013, is crucial for the future: "From my point of view, building networks is the key to success when it comes to consumer health protection.".

Dr. Ulrich Kuhlmann, subdivision manager of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, emphasized that the BVL, with its responsibility for the authorisation of veterinary drugs and plant protection products, was also a key pillar for preventative health protection.

Brownschweig's Mayor Annagret Ihbe wished President Dr. Helmut Tschiersky and the BVL all the best for the 15th anniversary. Image: BVL

The colloquium also focused on current topics. Prof. Dr. Andreas Waag from Braunschweig University highlighted the importance of nanometrology for health protection. Prof. Dr. Martin Schmidt-Kessel from the University of Bayreuth illuminated the position of consumer protection when it comes to tensions between politics, science and non-governmental organisations.

Source: BVL