Governmental crisis management for food safety

The food industry has been exposed to crises more than any other sector in the last ten years. At the same time, the framework requirements for delivering safe food have been changing in a globalised world. For this reason, crisis management for food safety poses an important but challenging task. Nonetheless, global, European, as well as German federal and regional actors have increasingly made efforts to provide safe food for consumers especially in the last ten years. Whereas global institutions focus on their role as advisers and coordinators, the European Community endeavours to manage crises concerning food safety by harmonising policy and procedures. The German federal and regional authorities have enforced crisis management for food safety primarily through structural changes as well as precautionary measures. These governmental efforts will certainly not prevent food crises, yet good crisis management can curb a crisis and its consequences.