Consumer Information Act

Under the Consumer Information Act (VIG) of May 1, 2008, the food monitoring authorities of the federal states are generally obliged to provide you with information. This means that you can obtain available information on food, animal feed, consumer goods, cosmetics or wine by submitting a written request to the competent authority.

Your right to receive information for everyone includes data on

• Violations of food and feed law;
• Hazards/risks posed by products for consumers; (e.g: "How often were planned or suspected samples of meat and meat products objected to as hazardous to health during official inspections in the previous year?");
• Labeling, origin, quality, use, production and handling of products (e.g: "Were pesticide residues found in peppers in a supermarket in the 4th quarter of the previous year?");
• raw materials and the processes used to obtain the raw materials (e.g.: "What ingredients does a particular foodstuff consist of?");
• Monitoring measures, evaluation of these activities, statistics on infringements (e.g. hygiene complaints in a food business).