Links

Testing Institutes for Quality and Health Standards 

Institut Fresenius
Testing Institute on environmental and health standards.
The homepage is available in German and English.

Trends and Fashion Forecast

Information on fashion trends is available at the homepage of the exhibition GDS.
The homepage is available in German, English and Italian.

Consumer Taste

The following online addresses lead to German shoe and leather shops. These sites should give you an idea about German price levels and consumer tastes.
Please understand that English sites are not available.

www.deichmann.com  (English, German)
www.goertz.de  (German)
www.leiser.de  (German)
www.reno.de  (English, German)

Please find here an English translation list which will help you to get through more easily to the websites of German mail order companies.

German Fairs

GDS - The Premier Shoe Event
I.L.M. - Internationale Lederwarenmesse Offenbach

German Trade and Import Associations

Zentralverband Gewerblicher Verbundgruppen (ZGV)
The members of ZGV are about 300 Purchasing and Marketing Associations (also called Buying Groups) consisting of 180,000 trade and crafts enterprises with an annual turnover of 104.5 Billion Euro (2002).
The ZGV represents a network of more than 35 different sectors, including furniture. The member list is published on the homepage of ZGV.

In the furniture sector
Please click here to obtain the list of 22 associations which are member in ZHV and represent almost 11,000 enterprises working in the furniture sector.

Consumer Taste

The following online addresses lead to the websites of German mail order companies which sell furniture via catalogue.
It gives you an idea about German consumer tastes in furniture.
Please understand that English sites are not available.

www.heine.de
www.otto.de
www.quelle.de

Please find here an English translation list which will help you to get through more easily to the websites of German mail order companies.

German Fairs

imm cologne
imm cologne is the world's leading furniture fair.
Annual, next time: 15 - 21 January 2007, Cologne.

spoga + gafa
"spoga + gafa Köln" are the unified two fairs "International Trade Fair for Sports, Camping and Garden Lifestyle" and the "International Garden Trade Fair". It is the world's leading trade fair for the garden and leisure market. 
Annual, next time: 03 - 05 September 2006, Cologne.

German Import and Trade Associations

Gesamttextil 
Gesamttextil is a German Textile Association which represents the German texile industry in the sectors of social, wage and economic policy.
This link provides general information on the German textile industry as well as import and export statistics.
The languages available are German and English.
The online platform 'textination' includes important information on the textile industry in Germany. 

Association of Non-food Importers (VFI)
The VFI gives information about all fields of manufactured goods. On the homepage of VFI you can search for members, products of purchasing as well as countries of purchasing. VFI publishes a list of its members on the internet.

Moreover you can search the VFI database according to your products or the countries the VFI members deal with.
The homepage is available in German and partly in English.

Quality Standards and Testing Institutes

Oeko-Tex Standard 100
The ecolabel Oeko-Tex Standard 100 was developed by the International Textile Research Centre Hohenstein. It stands for the testing of harmful substances in textiles and high quality standards.
The homepage is available in German, English, Turkish and Chinese.

Institut Fresenius Gruppe

Prüf- und Forschungsinsitut Primasens

Systain

Trends


Trends for Home Textiles 
At the homepage of the Heimtextil fair you will find useful information on trends and materials for home textiles.
The homepage is available in English and German.

Online Newsletter

TWnetwork
TWnetwork informs you about the latest trends, developments and events in the textile industry.
This is also an online platform for the German and European textile industry.
It also offers a subscription to the TWnetwork newsletter, which is a daily online newsletter regarding the latest news in the field of textiles.
The hompage is available in German and English.

Consumer Taste

The following online addresses lead to the websites of German mail order companies. They give you an idea about German price levels and consumer tastes.
Please understand that English sites are mostly not available.

www.baby-walz.de
www.otto.de
www.quelle.de

Please find here an English translation list which will help you to get through more easily to the websites of German mail order companies.

German Fairs

cpd woman.man
Bread & Butter
Body Look & Fashion Look
ISPO
Heimtextil

German Trade and Import Associations

BDSI - Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry
This website provides you with many links to producers, other similar associations and information on the confectionery sector. Unfortunately, the website is only in German language, but statistical graphics on consumption, production and other matters for the six sections of the association are available bilingual, in German and English.

BGA - Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade
The BGA (Bundesverband des Deutschen Gross- und Aussenhandels e. V.) is the leading organisation for the wholesale, foreign trade and service sector in Germany. The BGA can be contacted via a form on its homepage.

CDH - National Federation of German Commercial Agencies and Distribution 
CDH represents more than 60,000 German Commercial Agencies and Distributors selling in the fields of business. To find contact you can announce your distribution offer by placing an advertisement in the CDH magazine, H&V Journal to appeal to 18,000 commercial agents of all branches. You can place your own advertisement here to approach business partners. The website is available in German and English.

DFHV - German Fruit Trade Association
The German Fruit Trade Association represents the interests of companies (e.g. wholesalers and retailers) dealing with fruit and vegetables. The Association also publishes a list of its members (> Die Mitglieder > Mitgliedsunternehmen and > Mitgliedsverbande). If you intend to export fresh fruits or fresh vegetables to Germany, you can send a short offer as an email tohamburg@dfhv.de. Please mention your country, the fruits/vegetables, your name, address, phone, fax and email. The homepage is available only in German.

German Wholesale Markets
Germany's wholesale markets are centres for trade, services and commerce. These trade centres are located in different German cities and offer valuable contacts to German fruit and vegetable importers. The homepage is available in German and English.

Professional Representation of the Fish Processing Industry, Fish Wholesaler and Fish Importers in Germany
The website is only in German.

VDC - Association of Firms engaged in Wholesale and Foreign Trade in Drugs and Chemicals.
The task of VDC is to safeguard and promote members' interests with regard to import, export, transit business and to an extent also manufacture, notably of chemical and pharmaceutical raw materials, additives, volatile oils and dried raw plant material (drugs) for pharmaceutical use and use in food. The VDC homepage is available only in German but on the website of WGA you can find also an English text.

VdF - Association of the German Fruit Juice Industry
VdF is the umbrella organisation of about 430 German fruit juice producers. On the homepage which is in English and German you can find a list of the members.

Warenverein der Hamburger Borse e.V.
Warenverein der Hamburger Borse e.V. is an Association for the wholesale and export trade of canned and deep frozen goods, dried fruit, edible nuts, dehydrated vegetables, spices, honey and similar products. If you wish to get information on trade contacts to German importers pleaseclick here. With the exception of trade contacts the homepage is only available in German.

Wirtschaftsvereinigung Gross- und Außenhandel Hamburg e.V.
WGA is the umbrella association of 18 different associations which represent and safeguard the interests of wholesalers and exporters of food and non-food products such as tea, cacao, essential oils, spices and herbs.WGA does not provide a list of its members on its internet site. If you wish to send a co-operation request, please forward your e-mail to contact@wga-hh.de. The association can publish your request in its newsletter which will be distributed among its members. The homepage is available in German and English.

Quality Standards, Controlling Bodies/Ecolabels

BCS OEKO-GARANTIE GmbH
Private controlling agency, which certifies organic products worldwide This provides supervision of ecological agriculture and is also internationally represented. Please find the addresses of the international representation offices here. The homepage is available in English, German and Spanish.

BLE - Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (Germany)
On the homepage of BLE you will get information on quality standards for fruit and vegetables in German and partially in English and French. In order to get the list of quality standards of fruit and vegetables please click here.


BLL - German Federation of Food Law and Food Science (Germany)
The Bund fur Lebensmittelrecht und Lebensmittelkunde (BLL) is an umbrella organisation, its members coming from all sectors of the food industry, especially associations and companies stemming from industry, trade and commerce, the craft professions, agriculture, and associated fields. As a representative body of the German food industry, the BLL works towards a harmonisation and the further development of food law at national, European, and international level. It supports efforts to cut down on bureaucracy and strives to ensure appropriate levels of consumer protection.

Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and theWorld Health Organization (WHO) to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The main purposes of this Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations (English, French, Spanish).

BfR - Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Germany)
The BfR is the scientific body of the Federal Republic of Germany that prepares expert reports and opinions on questions of food safety and consumer health protection on the basis of internationally recognised scientific assessment criteria. BfR formulates action options for risk reduction, it is the German equivalent to EFSA. The homepage is available in English and German.

BMELV - Federal Ministry Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (Germany)
The website of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection is in German and partially in English, the law texts are available only in German.

BVL - Federal Institute for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Germany)
For Germany, the BVL has the task of ensuring consumer health protection as well as a comprehensive and efficient risk management in general. Risk assessment and communication for the German Government, on the other hand, are the tasks of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). The homepage is available partially in English.

Ecolabel ("Bio-Siegel", Germany)
The German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection has introduced an national ecolabel called Bio-Siegel in order to assist consumers to identify organic food at a glance. In Germany many ecolabels exist, but this ecolabel is an attempt to unify them for the consumers' sake. The homepage is available in English and German.

EFSA - European Food Safety Authority
Established in 2002, the EFSA is the new scientific body for risk assessment of the EU, providing independent scientific advice on all matters linked to food and feed safety - including animal health and welfare and plant protection - and provides scientific advice on nutrition in relation to EU legislation. The homepage is available in English, French, German and Italian.

EU - European Union
The Homepage of the European Union provides you with different kind of information related to food. Unfortunately the EU-webpages are not very clearly arranged. Here we offer some links to websites related to matters of agriculture and food and their export to the EU.

For more information on the bilateral relations between the EU and other countries in general and related to trade matters please click here.

About agriculture in the EU you can visit this site which provides you also with many economic and trade relatedagricultural statistics of the EU and other information onFood quality, Animal welfare, Food and feed safety, Plant health and Control mechanisms in the EU.

The portal to official documents and EU law is here, summaries of the legislations can be found here.

On the homepage of the EU different regulations on fresh fruit and vegetables according to EU quality standards can be found.

A glossary with specific terms related to the EU customs can be found here.

A "User's guide to the EU's scheme of Generalised Tariff Preferences (GSP)" can be found here.

The EU's online customs database TARIC can be consulted to look up commodity codes and relevant import duties.

The database for tariff quotas and ceilings can be found here.

For general information on product labelling and packaging of food products, food packaging and containers and non-food products in the EU click here.

FAO - Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
The Food and Agriculture Organisation provides information on HACCP and on the Codex Alimentarius. The information is available in English, French and Spanish.

HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is a widely accepted food safety management system to assure the safety of food. As part of the FAO programme to support countries in strengthening production systems and assure the safety of the food supply, the Food Quality and Standards Service (ESNS) has worked with government bodies and the food industry in the implementation of HACCP. For more information click here.

GFRS - Gesellschaft für Ressourcenschutz mbH (Germany)
The GFRS is a nationally certified board of control which examines agricultural firms as well as processing and import enterprises for adherence to the legal regulations for ecological agriculture and the guidelines under private law. The homepage is available in German, English and Spanish.

IFOAM - International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
IFOAM is the world-wide umbrella organisation of organic agriculture. Exporters can obtain a list of German and international and/or regional certification bodies from IFOAM. The homepage is available in English.

IMO - Institute for Marketecology
Control and certification body for ecological agriculture. The homepage is available in English and Spanish.

LACON GmbH
Private institute for quality assurance and certification of organically produced food. The homepage is available in English, German and French.

Naturland-Verband für naturgemässen Landbau e.V.
Naturland belongs to the important international certifying organizations for products of recognized organic agriculture. The homepage is available in German, English and Spanish.

UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNECE works on commercial quality standards for a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, dry and dried fruits, potatoes, meat products, eggs and egg products and cut flowers. On the homepage of UNECE you can get information on their latest projects and existing standards. The homepage is available in English.
 

Online Newsletters and other Sources of Information

At the homepage of the fair BioFach you can subscribe to the BioFach newsletter. This newsletter informs about trends, new developments and facts concerning the ecological market. The languages available are English, German and Spanish.

www.fischinfo.de
This site belongs to the Fish Information Centre (Fisch-Informationszentrum, FIZ) and provides information on matters related to the fish market in Germany. Here you can also obtain a list with the scientific Latin names of fishesand their equivalent German trade names and vice versa. Unfortunately this website itself is available only in German.

www.freshfel.org
Freshfel Europe is the forum for the European fresh fruits and vegetables chain. Freshfel Europe's members represent all segments of the fresh produce trade: import, export, wholesale, distribution and retail. Here you can also find alist of the members of Freshfel Europe. This homepage is available only in English.

www.freshquality.org
The Fresh Quality Guide is a compendium of information on fresh produce marketing in Europe. All general European legislative requirements are detailed in addition to product marketing standards and pesticide residue limits.

www.fruit-law.de
Online platform for exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables to the EU and Germany providing with very specific, detailed information on legal matters like labelling law, types of presentation, marketing standards, food law etc. on the common EU-level with special focus on additional German standards. Here you can find legal information on every traded fruit or vegetable. This site is available in English, French, German and Spanish.

www.greentrade.net
Internet platform where suppliers and buyers of organic products come together on a market place. This site is available in English, French and Spanish.

German Fairs

Anuga
Anuga is the most important informational and supply fair for food and beverage production world-wide.

BioFach
BioFach is the world's leading fair for organic products.

Fruit Logistica
Fruit Logistica is the largest international fair for fruit and vegetable trading; developing countries offering exotics are a special target groups.

International Green Week (IGW)
The International Green Week (Internationale Grune Woche) is a one-of-a-kind international exhibition for the food, agricultural, and horticultural industries. Producers from all over the world use the IGW to test-market food and luxury items and establish a brand image. Exhibitors often organize around national, regional, or product themes. Presentations feature fresh produce, fish, meats, and dairy products. These combine with a vast selection of international wine, beer, and spirits specialties, to satisfy every culinary palate. Right in line with consumer trends, the IGW also includes direct agricultural sales and the BIO MARKT organic products section.

International Sweets Fair (ISM)
International Sweets Fair (Internationale Suesswarenmesse) is the largest and most important sweets and biscuits fair in the world.

Other important international fairs

IFE (International Food and Drink Exhibition)
The most important fair for food and beverages in the UK.
Biannual, next time: 18 - 21 March 2007, London, United Kingdom.
(English, French, German, Italian, Spanish)

SIAL (Salon International de L'Alimentation)
SIAL is - together with the Anuga - the most important fair for food and beverages in Europe.
Biannual, 22 - 26 October 2006, Paris, France.
(English, French)