10 years of scientific assessment of health risks from food, chemicals and consumer products at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientific institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). The main remit of the BfR comprises the assessment of existing and the identification of new health risks in the area of food, chemical and product safety, the drawing up of recommendations on risk reduction and the communication of this process. This work culminates in the provision of scientific policy advice by the BfR. The institute advises various federal ministries including BMELV, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS), and other authorities such as the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). The BfR conducts its own research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks. The results of all re-search activities are used accordinglyin the BfR's risk assessments and opinions. All findings are made available to the public in a transparent and intelligible manner. Transparency, scientific excellence and independence are the three central principles pur-sued by the BfR in order to strengthen the trust of everyone involved in the process of risk assessment. When the BfR was set up in 2002, the strategic emphasis was on perpetuating the scientifically based approach to risk assessment. Since then, various measures have been taken that make a key contribution to this goal and therefore towards ensuring the high quality of work performed by the BfR.DE; en; efsa-focal-point@bfr.bund.d