Berlin – The Chilean Ministry of Agriculture, thus the Chilean Authority for Food Safety and Quality (ACHIPIA) and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) are renewing their cooperation agreement
During a reception at the German Embassy in Chile, Minister of Agriculture Esteban Valenzuela Van Treek and Professor Dr. dr Andreas Hensel, President of the BfR, on March 1, 2023, the renewed cooperation agreement between their institutions. The goals of the contract are organizational and political advice in the field of risk assessment, continuation of scientific mentoring and joint scientific cooperation as well as cooperation in the field of education and training. “Global cooperation enriches and improves consumer health protection through continuous exchange. As part of the long-standing cooperation with ACHIPIA, a number of projects have already been implemented, including in the area of exposure assessment,” says Professor Dr. dr Andrew Hensel. “Our cooperation agreement will help strengthen the national institutional framework for food safety and quality,” said Diego Varela, Executive Secretary of ACHIPIA. Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela Van Treek adds: “We are very interested in the experiences that Germany has made in the field of risk analysis. We see them as a reference and want to learn from their work. We want to continue on this path of cooperation in order to improve our food system There is no better way to do this than to work with institutions like the BfR, which have so much reputation and experience in this area.”
The signing of the first contract in 2018 made it possible to carry out several risk assessment studies in Chile, as well as the exchange of information and the organization of conferences of great importance for the Latin America and Caribbean region, which are led from Chile.
In addition, the BfR and ACHIPIA have successfully carried out numerous scientific consultations (scientific mentoring). The focus here was, among other things, the assessment of diet-related exposure to sweeteners and to arsenic and cadmium in seafood or currently the assessment of diet-related arsenic exposure in rice and baby food.
In addition, ACHIPIA was involved in the 10th BfR Summer Academy in 2022 with scientific presentations and discussions.
With increasing pressure on food systems, ACHIPIA aims to be institutionalized to make an informed contribution to improving the functioning of the national food control system. In this situation, the BfR is consulted to advise the ACHIPIA with regard to its own experiences.
About the ACHIPIA
The Chilean Agency for Food Quality and Safety (Agencia Chilena de Calidad e Inocuidad Alimentaria, ACHIPIA) is a public commission that advises through the Ministry of Agriculture and the sub-secretariat of the same name. The aim of their work is to coordinate all actors in the food chain, ie government agencies, food manufacturers, industry, universities, research centers and consumers, and to contribute to the reduction of food risks through national and international coordination bodies and risk analysis tools, especially in the areas of assessment and communication.
About the BfR
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). It advises the federal government and the federal states on questions of food, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics that are closely related to its assessment tasks.