Food Safety Crisis Management—A Comparison between Germany and the Netherlands

Abstract

In order to prevent food safety incidents from becoming a crisis, a good crisis management structure is essential. The aim of the current study was to compare and evaluate the national food incident response plans of 2 neighboring EU Member States: Germany and the Netherlands. This revealed that the structure of these plans is comparable, starting with initial alerting, assessment of the problem, upscaling, an execution phase and finally an evaluation of the crisis management. However, the German communication structure is more complex than the Dutch one and cross-border communication between both countries is currently limited. In general, the presence of national response plans does not guarantee a good and swift response to a food safety incident as this is often hampered by difficulties in tracing the source of the problem as well as difficulties in communication between organizations involved in crisis management. A timely detection can be improved through the development of fast screening and detecting systems and through combining various data sources using computer software systems. Mutual cooperation and communication can be improved through joint exercises or projects. This will help to streamline communication toward consumers and trade partners. Such communication should be transparent relaying not only the facts but also the uncertainties in a crisis in order to gain consumer trust and safeguard international trade.

Interactions between risk assessors and risk managers during three major food incidents in Europe

“…The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) are responsible for RM at national level. The BVL coordinates regional activities ( BfR, 2011 g ; van Asselt et al., 2017 ). RM is performed at national level in a crisis situation, as defined in Regulation No 178/2002 (EC, 2002 ).…”

Do the Right Thing: A Conceptual Framework of Response Strategies Research of Crises Communication in the Global Restaurant Industry

“…Although the FDA has some authority to issue recalls, it generally is the action of last resort [15]. In order for risks not to turn into full-blown crises, it is important to start risk communicating as early as possible [5,16]. van Asselt et al [16] evaluated food safety response plans in Germany and Netherlands and found that the success of a food safety campaign depended on the way the public was alerted initially followed by assessment of the problem, quick planning and execution of solutions.…”

Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Devices for the Determination of Food Contaminants: Developments and Applications

“…With the improvement of the living standard, increasing attention is paid to food safety. In the past few years, food safety incidents have occurred persistently and aroused global concern. − Safe and nutritive food consumption is the basic requirement and prerequisite for the physical and mental health of human bodies. Furthermore, one of the most important causes of food safety problems is the diversified food hazards and contaminants, and the increasing complexity of the food system also aggravates the challenge of food safety .…”