Around 23 million are affected by foodborne illnesses in Europe each year, of which around 4,700 die as a result thereof. A yearly average of 800 people are hospitalised due to salmonella and campylobacter bacteria, the new inspector for food safety Patrick Hau explained.
The new commissariat is part of the Ministry of Consumer Protection. Officials hope that it will improve the coordination between the different administrations that are in charge of food safety in the Grand Duchy.
Up until now, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture shared this responsibility. The creation of the new commissariat thus represents a step towards a more centralised administration - even though the individual administrations still conduct their own checks, Patrick Lau explained. The goal of the commissariat, he added, is to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the checks are coordinated.
The commissariat is also in charge of organising additional training sessions, passing on information and maintaining contact with international food safety organisations. The results of food controls in restaurants and on farms will also be made public in the future. In this context, Hau also explained that the commissariat will fight against fraud.
The commissariat currently comprises four people and a lawyer is expected to join their ranks soon.
