PVD

Although the European Union has been already working at the issues of food safety for several decades, there are still serious, food related problems present. In 1996 the European Commission admitted that there is a large variety of biological pathogens and chemical detergents that cause food poisoning, but almost all of them have something in common: they accompany the products of animal and plant origin from the cattle-shed or barn till the table.

Within the framework of food surveillance concept „from the field till the table” which is the most effective way how to protect the consumer right to receive safe and harmless food in January 1, 2002 the Food and Veterinary Service (FVS) started operating under the Ministry of Agriculture.

The majority of FVS employees work in 27 branches that are situated in all territory of Latvia, by ensuring the veterinary surveillance and the control of food safety. The central body ofthe service which consists of the director general, the administration, the food surveillance department and the veterinary surveillance department performs the strategic planning of all service activities and helps the branches of the service to carry out the food and veterinary surveillance in the whole country. The department of informatics isresponsible for the computerization of the whole service, exchange of information, the systems of its gathering and analyzing. FVS sanitary border control works on the external border of the European Union for 24 hours a day ; FVS Food Centre carries out the scientificresearch and evaluates specific types of food before launching them into the market, but FVS National Diagnostics Centre performs the laboratory examinations.