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Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition

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Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition
Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición
AESAN logo

Agency's headquarters in Madrid
Agency overview
FormedJuly 7, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-07-07)
JurisdictionSpain
HeadquartersCalle Alcalá 56, Madrid, Spain
Employees196 (2019)
Annual budget€ 22.1 million, 2023[1]
Agency executives
Parent agencyMinistry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda
Websitewww.aecosan.gob.es

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) is a regulatory agency of the Government of Spain responsible for promoting food safety and for providing guarantees and objective information to consumers and economic agents of the Spanish agrifood industry.[2]

It is also responsible for planning, coordinating and developing strategies and actions that promote information, education and promotion of the health in the field of nutrition and especially the prevention of obesity. All this from the scope of action of the powers of the General State Administration and with the cooperation of other Public Administrations and interested sectors.[2]

History

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The AESAN was created in 2001 as Spanish Agency for Food Safety.[3] In 2006 it was renamed as Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition.[4]

In 2014, the agency was transformed into the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) as a result of the merging of the National Institute for Consumer Affairs and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition.[5] The National Institute for Consumer Affairs was created in 1975 and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition in 2001 (although without the nutrition responsibilities, which were incorporated in 2006).[citation needed]

Because both agencies shared a mission in terms of protecting the health and safety of consumers and users, and although each of them had specific areas of action, the truth is that both worked in the field of food. The new Agency was born, in short, with an integrating and cooperative vocation of all the agents involved in guaranteeing consumer safety in its broadest sense. This was also done to put Spanish agencies in tune with European Union agencies.[6]

In August 2018, the agency lost its responsibilities on consumer rights because of the creation of the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs within the Department of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare. Because of this, it recovered its previous name. In 2020, the agency was transferred to the newly created Department of Consumer Affairs.[7] After the dissolution of this department in late 2023, it was attached to the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda.

Organization chart

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The agency is divided in four type of bodies: Governing bodies, Executive and managing bodies, Advisory and coordination bodies and Risk assessment bodies:[8]

  • Governing bodies.
    • The President. It's the Secretary-General for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, with the rank of Under Secretary.
    • The Governing Board.
  • Executive and managing bodies.
    • The Executive director.
    • The deputy directors-general.
  • Advisory and coordination bodies.
    • The Institutional Commission.
    • The Valuation Committee.
    • The Advisory Council.
    • The Council of Consumers and Users.
    • The General Council of the Consumer Arbitration System.
  • Risk assessment bodies.
    • The Scientific Committee.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "State Budget 2023" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Royal Decree 19/2014 which creates the AECOSAN". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  3. ^ "Spanish Agency for Food Safety Act of 2001". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  4. ^ "2006 Act to Improve the Protection of Consumers and Users". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  5. ^ AETOX (2014-03-05). "Se crea la Agencia Española de Consumo, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AECOSAN) | AETOX". Asociación Española de Toxicología (AETOX) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  6. ^ "Royal Decree 19/2014, of January 17, merging the National Institute for Consumer Affairs and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  7. ^ "La Aesan queda finalmente en manos del Ministerio de Consumo". www.animalshealth.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  8. ^ "Aecosan - Agencia Española de Consumo, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición". www.aecosan.msssi.gob.es. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
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