Official food monitoring has the task of ensuring consumer protection against health hazards, misleading and deception in the trade of foodstuffs, consumer goods, cosmetics and tobacco products. In Thuringia, this is the responsibility of the veterinary and food monitoring offices of the counties and independent cities as well as the State Office for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

In food law, the principle applies that companies and facilities that manufacture, import, process or handle food, cosmetics, tobacco products and consumer goods and place them on the market must ensure the health safety of their products as part of their duty of care.

The employees of the veterinary and food inspection offices in the districts and independent cities carry out random checks to ensure compliance with food law requirements at all levels of trade, from the manufacturer or importer to the retail trade, as well as in catering establishments and mass catering facilities. They are the points of contact for citizens' concerns in connection with food law issues.

The sensory, chemical-analytical as well as microbiological examination and assessment of the samples taken by the veterinary and food monitoring offices is carried out at the Thuringian State Office for Consumer Protection.