The present Act is contained in article 1 of the Act of 1 September 2005 (BGBl. I 2618) on the re-organization of foodstuff and feedstuffs regulations. Its purpose is to ensure the safe use of foodstuff, cosmetics and articles of daily use; to protect the consumer from fraud and adulteration; to ensure the information of the consumer of food; to ensure the safe use of animal feed; to protect nature and its environment from harmful substances in animal excrements; to promote through healthy animal feed the safe growth of animals and their capacities; to ensure that foodstuff of animal origin is of a high standard. Moreover, the present Act implements various EU directives on the same subject. Article 6 establishes that whoever produces or treats foodstuff to be destined to be brought into circulation shall not use unauthorized additives. Article 15 contains provisions relating to the German Codex Alimentarius. It is a collection of guidelines describing the production, nature and other characteristics of foodstuff relevant for its marketing. The guidelines are decided by the German Codex Alimentarius Commission based on the international standard for foodstuff recognised by the federal government. They are published by the Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture. The text contains 73 articles divided into 11 chapters as follows: General provisions (1); Marketing of foodstuff (2); Marketing of feedstuff (3); Marketing of cosmetics (4); Marketing of articles of daily use (5); General regulations for all products (6); Inspection (7); Monitoring (8); Import and export (9); Penalties (10); Final provisions (11). One Annex is enclosed.
Moreover, the above-mentioned Act on the re-organization of foodstuff and feedstuff regulations repeals various Acts on foodstuff and feedstuffs.