Department of Nutrition Hygiene, Food Safety and Cosmetic Products

Directs and guides tasks in the field of public health in the sphere of care of healthy nutrition of population.
In scope of its competence department performs following activities:

Nutrition hygiene

  • defines basic principles of correct nutrition of population depending on physical characteristics and life conditions,
  • determines recommended nutrition doses for individual groups of population,
  • directs the topic of common dining of selected groups of population,
  • coordinates prevention programs in the field of correct nutrition, carries out educational and counselling activity,
  • carries out monitoring of factors influencing health through nutrition,
  • proposes and assess hygienic conditions for production and manipulation with foodstuffs and with food and prepares legislation proposals in given sphere.

Food safety

  • directs and coordinates organization and performance of state health supervision and of food surveillance over production, manipulation and introducing to circulation of foodstuffs and food in facilities of common dining and in facilities with epidemiologic risk production, manipulation and introducing to circulation of foodstuffs,
  • prepares source materials in matter of decision making in new foodstuffs and nutrition supplements according to the Act No. 355/2007 Coll. of Laws on protection, promotion a development of public health and on change and amendment of some acts,
  • elaborates expert opinions to plant protection products according to the Act No. 193/2005 Coll. of Laws on medical care of herbs,
    • elaborates limits for hygienic and health security for foodstuffs and for risk minimalization in food chain,
    • coordinates and prepares legislation proposals in the area of health security of foodstuffs,
    • department is a contact point for Rapid alert system over foodstuffs and food in the Slovak Republic in the net of regional public health authorities.

Cosmetic products

  • fulfilment of tasks resulting from the Act No 355/2007 Coll. of Laws on protection, promotion and development of public health and from connected legislation – legal regulations,
  • manages and coordinates state health supervision in the area of safety of cosmetic products and consumer protection,
  • methodically and expertly coordinates workplaces of RPHA in the SR during performance of state health supervision and surveillance of consumer protection over cosmetic products,
  • communicates with responsible persons with the seat outside the territory of the SR in detection of violation of legal regulations and evaluates the appropriateness of adopted corrective measures for elimination of shortcomings,
  • participates in preparation of legal regulations in the SR, issuance of standpoints in the area of cosmetic products and standpoints in creation of EU legal regulations for negotiations in the area o cosmetic products,
  • represents the SR in the sessions of working committees and committees in the area of cosmetic products and consumer protection organized by European Commission: Standing Committee on Cosmetic Products, Working Group on Cosmetic Products, PEMSAC (Analytical Methods, Market Surveillance, Plenary), Claims for Cosmetic Products, Annex III, PEMSAC (Analytical Methods, Market Surveillance, Plenary), Consumer Safety Network – Subgroup Tattoos and Permanent Make-up,
  • epresents the SR at the sessions of Council of Europe – EDQM (European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare): European Committee for Cosmetics and Consumer Health and The Network of Official Cosmetics Control Laboratories (OCCLs).
  • cooperates with customs authorities in import control of cosmetic products from third countries and on request from Customs Office issues binding standpoints,
  • cooperates with other state administration authorities, their executive units and scientific institutions,
  • provides information service for physical, legal persons and consumers,
  • cooperates with other organizations, carrying out their activities in the area of health protection of population and consumer protection in the area of cosmetic products,
  • cooperates with surveillance authorities in EU member states and with international institutions in the area of cosmetic products and consumer protection.

Contact point and local administrator for the systems:

  • RAPEX (Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products) – rapid alert system for non-food products in the EU,
  • CPCS (Consumer Protection Cooperation System) – system for consumer protection,
  • CPNP (Cosmetic Product Notification Portal) – cosmetic products notification system,
  • ICSMS (The internet-supported information and communication system for the pan-European market surveillance) – system for performance of control of cosmetic products,
  • Contact for reporting of serious damages to health (serious undesirable effects – SUE) caused by cosmetic products.