14 avril 2023 Info +

DGAL: a government department at the service of the citizen

english contents

Throughout 2022, the teams at the General Directorate for Food (DGAL), both at central level and in its decentralised departments, have continued their efforts for their fellow citizens and consumers in favour of food that is healthy, of good quality and environmentally friendly.

Several major events marked 2022.

Firstly, there was the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which mobilised staff before and during the first half of the year. With good results to show for it!

Next, the launch of the food sanitary security reform for a “single policing authority” was an important development in the past year, involving the directorate as a whole: this mission reorganisation, by transferring to DGAL the powers of DGCCRF in this domain, puts in place single management for the officers responsible for ensuring the safety of the consumer, giving greater clarity and efficiency to the system. Those changes have been under way since 1 January 2023 and will go forward in a number of phases.

And finally, we have handled several sanitary crises, notably avian influenza, which returned to high intensity in the summer of 2022 after a brief respite, a situation in which staff are to be congratulated on their personal commitment.

The french general directorate of food (DGAL) exercises oversight of food safety and quality at every stage in the food supply chain, in addition to the health and protection of both animals and plants, working in conjunction with the various stakeholders: farming professionals, veterinarians, non-profit associations, consumers, and others.

It draws up the regulations that govern its core tasks and verifies their proper application, working through decentralised services in France’s départements and regions. At EU and international levels, the DGAL promotes France’s food, sanitary and phytosanitary models.