The respective contractors are responsible for this in accordance with the legal system. The extent to which they fulfil their responsibility is checked by the responsible offices of the respective districts and independent towns.
The monitoring of foodstuffs, consumer goods, cosmetics, tattoo products and tobacco products in the Börde district is carried out by the Food and Meat Hygiene Department of the Office of Health and Consumer Protection, which consists of a total of ten employees. These are two official veterinarians, six food inspectors and two clerks.
There are currently 1,751 businesses in the Börde district that are subject to food inspection. Where possible, these are visited unannounced. Depending on the risk assessment, there is a different inspection interval for each business.
As of 1 November 2025, 894 planned inspections were carried out in 2025. Additional inspections are also carried out in the event of consumer complaints or so-called follow-up inspections to check that defects have been rectified.
The companies inspected are diverse and include manufacturing companies such as butchers, bakeries and commercial kitchens, wholesale and retail businesses, catering establishments and food outlets in retirement homes, nurseries and schools. Companies with online trading and vending machines are also inspected.
Transport vehicles are also regularly inspected, sometimes in cooperation with the police on the motorway. Other activities include monitoring recalls of products with a potential health risk and determining the cause of food-borne illnesses.
During the inspections, official samples are also taken and sent by courier service to the State Office for Consumer Protection in Halle and Stendal for analysis. Sensory tests as well as microbiological and chemical tests are carried out here.
In 2025 (as at 01/11/2025), 702 samples were taken. 59 of these were rejected, 7 of which were prosecuted.
The Food and Meat Hygiene Division is not just an inspection authority. It is also a service provider and is happy to advise on relevant construction projects in the Börde district and on food law aspects in general. It is also happy to provide information on smaller projects such as a sales stand, a weekly market or a public festival.
Consumer complaints and reports of food-borne illnesses are taken very seriously and treated with absolute priority. It should be noted that the food inspection authority in your place of residence is always responsible for complaints.
Persons who handle perishable, unpackaged food for the purpose of passing it on to others require initial instruction in accordance with Sections 42 and 43 of the Infection Protection Act. This serves to prevent the spread of diseases through improper handling of food.
It covers topics such as personal hygiene, the correct storage of food and the prevention of contamination as well as activity bans in the case of notifiable pathogens.
Appointments for this instruction can be made by telephone on 03904-7240-2560 (Ms Braunert), -2558 (Ms Radtke-Stelzer), -2551 (hotline) or by email(gesundheit(at)landkreis-boerde.de).