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Facts & Figures

• Foundation
• Location
• Human resources
• Budget
• Objective
• Main areas of work
• Risk assessments
• Research
• Participation in Bodies
• BfR Laboratories
• Federal Bureau for Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)
• German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (BfR3)
• BfR Committees
• National Breastfeeding Committee
• EFSA Focal Point

Foundation

1 November 2002 as a body under public law within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)

Location

4 locations in Berlin

Main location: Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10 (Berlin-Jungfernheide)
President’s office: Alt-Marienfelde 17-21
Additional Institute buildings: Diedersdorfer Weg 1, Nahmitzer Damm 12

Human resources

Number of employees: 1.179 (2023)
Scientists: 539
Trainees: 20

Budget

For its statutory tasks, the BfR had a budget of € 134 million in 2023.
Third-party funding € 9 million.

Objective

To strengthen consumer health protection in Germany and on the international level.

Main areas of work

The main areas of work laid down in the "Act restructuring consumer health protection and food safety" of 14 August 2002 encompass the

• health assessment of biological and material-chemical safety of food,

• health assessment of the safety of substances (chemicals, pesticides, biocides) and selected products (consumer products, cosmetics, tobacco products, textiles and food packaging),

• risk assessment of genetically modified organisms in food, feed, plants and animals,

• risk communication and

• the development and validation of alternative methods to animal experiments.

Risk assessments

In 2023, the BfR carried out approximately 885,000 risk assessments (changed data collection since 2019).

Research

In 2023, the BfR was involved in 52 EU projects and 41 projects of the German Research Society (DFG) and other federal agencies. The BfR is also the German focal point for EFSA and participates in 10 international cooperation projects in the areas of training and capacity building.

Participation in bodies

In 2023, BfR scientists serve on 331 national and 197 European and 110 international bodies.

The following are attached to BfR:

National Reference Laboratories (NRL)

21 NRLs. 15 of the NRLs are from the fields of food safety, genetically modified organisms, food hygiene, zoonotic agents and antibiotics resistance monitoring and the Senior Expert Office for Wine.

Federal Bureau for Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)

Responsible for the national and international coordination and harmonisation of GLP-relevant questions and for the monitoring of GLP test institutes inside and outside Germany

German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (BfR3)

The BfR performs the role of the "German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R)" and coordinates all associated activities nationwide with the goal of

• Reducing animal experiments to the necessary minimum
• Providing the best possible protection for laboratory animals.

BfR Committees

13 Committees advise the Institute. In Germany they draw together the available expertise and then input it into international bodies. This guarantees rapid access to an expert network not just during a crisis.

EFSA Focal Point

Its task is to coordinate the exchange of scientific information between the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the public institutions responsible for food and feed safety in Germany and stakeholders from the business community, science and consumer associations.

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