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Shock in Neubrandenburg: Food inspection will be closed!
Laboratory closure for food controls in Neubrandenburg: 30 employees affected, reasons and possible solutions explained.
Shock in Neubrandenburg: Food inspection will be closed!
In Neubrandenburg, the announced closure of the food inspection laboratory site is causing a real shock. Affected employees are visibly affected by the decision, which was made as part of the savings requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture in Schwerin.
Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) responded to a press query from the Nordkurier media group and explained the background. The closure is not abrupt, but rather part of a comprehensive plan to optimize the laboratories in Rostock, as Nordkurier reports. However, no specific date has been given for the relocation as the planning is only in the initial phase and coordination with the employee representatives is still pending.
Resource conservation as a goal
There are many reasons for the closure: a shortage of financial and human resources forces laboratory capacities to be concentrated. This should not only reduce redundant tasks, but also improve the utilization of large devices at a central location. An additional argument is the increased availability and task prioritization in times of crisis, which is supposed to be made possible by bundling staff.
Around 30 employees in Neubrandenburg are affected by the closure. However, the ministry emphasizes that the employment of these employees at the laboratory location in Rostock should be continued. In addition, the State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries is planning socially acceptable solutions and supporting affected employees who cannot or do not want to move to Rostock in finding jobs in the Neubrandenburg region.
Food safety in focus
According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, industry must bear responsibility for the safety and quality of food through its own controls. Official food monitoring in Germany is the responsibility of the individual federal states, which carry out regular, risk-oriented controls. Here, companies are classified according to risk categories in order to ensure effective controls from “field to fork”, as bmel.de explains.
In 2019, food safety was under close scrutiny. Around 500,000 establishments were subject to official inspections, and violations were found at over 60,000 establishments. This shows that food safety remains one of the main concerns in the German food industry. Consumers attach great importance to the safety of food and are entitled to report hygiene or defect problems to the local food inspection authority. According to Statista, around a fifth of consumers also have concerns that the safety of food is decreasing.
Now we have to wait and see how the situation in Neubrandenburg will develop and what concrete solutions will be found for the affected employees. In times of crisis, a quick response is required and only time will tell how the state government deals with this significant challenge.