Contamination of food or feed
Contamination of food or feed refers to a substance that is unintentionally introduced into food or feed. This may occur during the production process, for example farming, breeding or manufacturing, but also during food processing, preparation, packaging, transport or storage, or through environmental pollution.
This risk also covers possible liquid contamination, such as contaminated water in a brewery which uses spring water, or contaminated cleaning water.
Risks and causes
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What can you do?
BEFORE
- Check the website of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) for an overview of current product recalls and warnings.
DURING
- Are you an operator who suspects that a product you have imported, produced, grown, bred, processed, manufactured or marketed could be hazardous to human, animal or plant health? Inform the FASFC immediately.
- Are you a consumer and suspect possible food contamination after eating a specific food? Report it to the FASFC via the Consumer Contact Point.
AFTER
- Follow the recommendations and instructions of the authorities (such as the FASFC).
Impact and probability
The figures relating to probability and impact describe food or feed contamination of considerable magnitude. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows:
- The situation involves limited consumption of human food or animal feed and therefore limited transmission.
- The product in question does not present an immediate health risk, but symptoms may appear after some time.
- The product could be recalled fairly quickly.
How should you interpret these results?
Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.
Probability
Strong
Human impact
Very weak
Societal impact
Very weak
Environmental impact
Very weak
Financial impact
Very weak
What do the authorities do?
In Belgium, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA) is responsible for supervision of the food chain from producer to consumer. Through inspections, sampling and analyses, the FASFC monitors the entire chain: raw materials, farms, the food industry, shops, restaurants, etc.
The DG Animals, Plants and Food of the FPS Public Health is responsible for drawing up federal policy on food safety and nutrition. It draws up rules and standards for the safety and quality of products used at all stages of the food chain.