Germany Faces Severe Shortage of Food Inspectors, Halving Planned Inspections

Germany is currently grappling with a significant shortage of food inspectors, with over 1,500 positions vacant nationwide. According to the Federal Association of Food Inspectors, only about half of the planned food safety inspections can be carried out at present. This shortfall has forced authorities to prioritize inspections in areas deemed to be of particularly high risk.

Approximately 2,500 food inspectors are employed across 430 municipal authorities throughout the country. The shortage stems from multiple factors, including a broader skilled worker deficit, inadequate wages, and the financial restrictions confronting local municipalities. These constraints have increasingly hampered the ability to maintain comprehensive inspection coverage.

A reform introduced in 2020 aimed to address these challenges by reducing the number of required inspections by 40 percent to focus on high-risk sectors. However, the Federal Association's president, Maschke, has highlighted that even these reduced inspection guidelines are often not met, further underscoring the critical staffing deficits.

The ongoing scarcity of qualified personnel and budgetary pressures have thus combined to undermine food safety oversight. With only half of planned controls being conducted and an emphasis on selective high-risk evaluations, concerns remain about the adequacy of Germany’s food safety inspections in protecting public health.