Germany uncovers alarming flaws in food and supplement safety checks

When the Foundation Warentest once selected food supplements for testing, it concluded that they were all unnecessary, some even risky. However, many people believe that these concentrated supplements, such as minerals or vitamins, are useful or even important. Food supplements are becoming increasingly popular because they seem simpler than a balanced traditional diet. "They are foods, not light medicines," explains expert Nils Niederland from the Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg (LLBB). Unlike medicine, food supplements do not require approval and can be sold freely. However, they are subject to **food surveillance**, for which the Landeslabor examines samples, among other areas. The Landeslabor has examined 399 of these supplements. Out of these, 200 had no issues, but the rest did. The most common issue was that the ingredients of the pills were not declared correctly. In one case, a supplement contained much more vitamin than stated. Consuming such a supplement unknowingly could exceed one's daily intake and potentially cause health problems. Such dangerous products are usually not sold in stores but are offered online, according to expert Niederland. He also mentioned that there are now vitamin patches and nasal sprays, and soon someone might offer them as eye drops. In such cases, food surveillance is not involved. It is only responsible for what goes into the mouth and through the stomach. * **/ Frank SchirrmeisterExpulsion from ParadiseAn exhibition at the Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank brings together rarely seen artists from late DDR * **/ Andreas FritscheThe Spremberg Dam - a technical pioneer achievementSpecial structure with great significance for Berlin celebrates its 60th birthday * **/ Andreas FritscheRent control challengedHousing association demands far-reaching abolition in 19 Brandenburg municipalities** The requirements are indeed different. In the capital headquarters, food surveillance plays a dominant role, while in neighboring Brandenburg, it's animal diseases that the branch office in Frankfurt (Oder) deals with. "The LLBB's swift and adequate response during the outbreak of the **foot and mouth disease** in January 2025 demonstrates the high level of expertise and reliability of the LLBB," praises Frank Reichel. He temporarily took over the function of the Brandenburg State Secretary Gregor Beyer (independent) who was relieved of his duties. At the beginning of the year, three water buffaloes died in Hönow near Berlin. The Landeslabor and then the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute confirmed the foot and mouth disease, which had not occurred in Germany since 1988. At that time, it broke out in Lower Saxony. The entire buffalo herd had to be killed, resulting in the death of eleven more animals. * The Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg (LLBB) examined 677,052 samples last year. * It analyzed 27,566 food samples and 3,039 samples of consumer goods, cosmetics, and tobacco. 579,114 samples related to animal husbandry, and the laboratory also examines water samples. * 13.2 percent of the test results led to legally relevant objections. * In the case of food, 12.4 percent of the samples raised legal concerns. Not far from Hönow, around 500 specimens of various animals in the **Berlin Zoo** could have been infected: red buffalo, brush-tailed porcupines, llamas, giraffes, and more. They would all have had to be euthanized if even one animal was affected. However, the worst did not happen. Over 33,000 samples were taken, all of which tested negative. In April, Germany regained its status as free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination.

On the night of September 9, 2025, a firebomb attack on two power poles caused a power outage in several Berlin districts. It was the longest power outage in the capital in 25 years, and the Landeslabor in Rudow was also affected. Although it has an emergency generator, it was not sufficient to compensate for such a major network failure. The lab had to dispose of hundreds of previously flagged samples prematurely, which it usually keeps for six more months for potential manufacturer inquiries.

According to LLBB director Mike Neumann on Tuesday, these samples, which could no longer be cooled, filled eight to ten large trash cans. Valuable substances that would have been cooled in case of doubt, and for which a few milliliters can cost several thousand euros, were damaged due to the power outage. Repairing or replacing the devices costs more than 100,000 euros, Neumann revealed.

Whether the emergency power will be upgraded is still an open question. First, it must be determined whether the planned cuts in the Berlin state budget will affect the Landeslabor. If so, Neumann wants to know from the state of Berlin where he should make cuts to manage with fewer funds than planned in the lab's economic plan. Although Neumann is a chemist by training, he is learning about finances and emergency power supply, which is not just about adding more generators. As for finances, he is still optimistic that he can balance the deficit.