News Release

Mission: Safety first - 20 years' work in protecting consumer health

To mark its 20th anniversary, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is organising an international symposium on 3 and 4 November. The event is dedicated to the question of how substances can be tested most efficiently.

Reports and Proceedings

BfR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

The BfR has made important contributions to consumer health protection for 20 years. This anniversary presents an opportunity to address a highly topical subject with an international symposium on 3 and 4 November 2022. The issue will be the EU Commission's plan to standardise and simplify the assessment of substances. Under the slogan "One substance - one assessment?" experts will discuss how this goal can be achieved. "The event will not just focus on speeding up procedures, but equally on improving consumer protection," says Professor Dr Dr Andreas Hensel, President of the BfR. "We also want to take a celebratory look back on the last 20 years together and get a clear view of the challenges ahead."

The symposium features three main topics. Experts from different institutions, different fields and countries will present exciting lectures and enter into discussions with the audience.

The first topic on Thursday, 3 November 2022, will be the question of which role social media and other innovative formats can play in risk communication. Then the topic of antimicrobial resistance in humans and animals is on the agenda. 4 November is dedicated to challenges and strategies in health risk assessment.

The complete programme can be found on the BfR Academy website:

Participation is free and you can register at:

The symposium is part of Berlin Science Week 2022. Further information can be found here:

About the BfR

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German 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 independent research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.

This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.


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