Credit: Government Commission for Quality, Fraud and Food Safety

On Tuesday 7 June 2022, on the occasion of the International Day of Food Safety, Luxembourg's Government Commission for Quality, Fraud and Food Safety, in collaboration with the Ministry of Protection of Consumers, a conference on official checks of the food chain was organised.

More than 250 participants took the opportunity to learn about the organisation and diversity of these checks.

International Food Safety Day

The International Food Safety Day, which has taken place every year on 7 June since 2020, is the ideal opportunity to inform and raise awareness among consumers on this subject. In 2022, the day was held under the slogan "Food safety, everyone's business".

It is in this context that the Government Commission for Quality, Fraud and Food Safety has published a video on food safety systems, highlighting the responsibility of each link in the food chain:

  • Companies (producers, processors, distributors, etc.) are responsible for the food safety of the products they place on the market;
  • State checks are carried out in parallel and are based on risk analysis;
  • Consumers also have their responsibilities: such as maintaining the cold chain and managing their stock at home. If necessary, they can also report a problematic food or establishment to the authorities.

Safety on my plate

In its series of conferences, "Safety on my plate", the Government Commission for Quality, Fraud and Food Safety organises an annual event for the general public on a particularly hot topic in the field of food safety. The diversity of official food chain checks was on the menu in 2022.

In the presence of the Minister for Consumer Protection, Paulette Lenert, and the Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Claude Haagen, and moderated by Joseph Rodesch, alias Mr Science, six themes were discussed:

  • Animal feed;
  • Animal welfare;
  • Biological agriculture;
  • Microbiological safety;
  • Food hygiene;
  • Novel foods.

Key take-home messages:

  •     The European system provides for integrated controls throughout the food chain, therefore from farm to fork, starting with primary plant and animal production, passing through processors, trade, the Horeca sector and distribution to the end consumer.
  •     All players in the food chain must ensure that the foodstuffs they produce, distribute or consume are compliant.
  •     State services carry out unannounced checks based on risk analysis to verify that operators comply with the regulations. The vast majority of establishments are in order.

At the end of the presentations, the 250 participants had the opportunity to discuss with the speakers in order to deepen one or the other point. The participants were surprised with food preparations based on new foods allowed, including chia seeds and insects. The presentations will be available soon on the Food Safety website.