In LAVES, round about 900 employees are involved in consumer protection. They are entrusted with tasks in the areas of food and utensils inspection, feed inspection, meat hygiene, veterinary drugs surveillance, combating animal diseases, disposal of animal by-products, animal welfare, ecological cultivation, marketing surveillance and monitoring technical procedures.

LAVES was founded with the aim of achieving a stronger coordination of inspection and consultation activities. Making rapid use of the resulting outcome, food safety is improved even further: safe foodstuff in all stages of production "from the stable to the table”.

But that’s not all: feed inspection is intensified and linked even more strongly with food surveillance. Because of the prompt and direct interchange, rapid and consistent testing is made possible. In addition, the entire enforcement of feed monitoring has been entrusted to LAVES – this means that, if there is reason for complaint, LAVES can immediately take the necessary legal steps. Food inspection and food control agents are responsible for providing operative and competent advice for the appropriate local inspection authorities.

LAVES has eight testing institutes in the whole of Lower Saxony (Food Institute, Veterinary Institute, Institute for Fish and Fishery Products, Institute for Testing Consumer Products, Feed Institute, Institute for Apiculture). Furthermore, the specialised departments state-wide are entrusted with the duties as operative and competent consultants for the local authorities, which include Food Control, Food Inspection Service, Supervision of Animal Drugs, Food Safety Control Service, Control of Animal Diseases/Abolishment of Animal By-Products, Veterinary Task-Force, , Feed Control Service, Ecological Agriculture and Market Control. In addition, the Technical Experts and Animal Welfare Service who, with their expertise deal with issues of animal husbandry and technology in all areas of veterinary service, preventively contribute to consumer protection, also belonging to LAVES. Here too, even more safety can be achieved through the tight bonding of these departments.

Through public relations and press agents, specialised information is prepared in such a manner as to be understandable to all consumers, so that even more clarity is achieved.

LAVES – we can call on years of experience in diverse institutes with the co-operation of all employees, and continue our daily task for even more safety in consumer protection.