Luxembourg is to get a single agency in charge of official controls in the food chain.
Legislators in the country voted this past week to create the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA).
The new authority will bring together all official controls relating to the food supply chain under the remit of the Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development.
Minister of Consumer Protection and Health Paulette Lenert said the reform would bring together services currently under the supervision of three different ministries and involve 100 people.
Agency remit
ALVA will be responsible for animal health and welfare; the safety of food of animal and non-animal origin; laboratory analysis of samples taken during official controls; registering, authorizing and licensing food chain operators; informing consumers about any dangers in the food chain and protecting against food fraud.
Minister Claude Haagen said integrated systems covering all links of the food chain would benefit policy implementation, the agri-food sector and consumers.
It will combine the Food Safety Unit of the Health Directorate, the Veterinary Services Administration, animal feed control under the Administration of Technical Agricultural Services, and the Government Commissariat for Quality, Fraud and Food Safety.
ALVA will become the single point of contact for food businesses and consumers at national, European and international level. It is hoped the reorganization of controls will lead to a harmonization and simplification of procedures and increased transparency.
The draft law to create such an administration was submitted in November 2020.
A call for candidates for the position of director of ALVA will be published shortly before the agency officially starts operating.
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