The Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) is a state authority for health consumer protection in Lower Saxony, founded on July 1, 2001, with more than 950 employees.

The LAVES is responsible nationwide for the examination and evaluation of official samples from all process and production stages of the food chain, for investigations of animal diseases and other animal diseases, feed and commodities. The LAVES includes six inspection facilities: the Food and Veterinary Institutes Oldenburg and Brunswick / Hanover, the Institute for Fish and Fishery Products Cuxhaven, the Institute for Commodities Lüneburg, the Animal Feed Institute Stade and the Institute for Bee Research Celle.

In "times of crisis", LAVES, in particular the two task forces Consumer Protection and Veterinary Services, together with the other public health consumer protection authorities in Lower Saxony, take over important key functions in the area of ​​crisis management.

Likewise, the president of the LAVES, Prof. Dr. Eberhard Haunhorst, who joined the ZWIRN as a member. Prof. Dr. Haunhorst has been President of the State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) since 1 February 2002. After studying veterinary medicine at the Free University Berlin Prof. Dr. med. Haunhorst 1988 in the official veterinary service. From 1993 to 1995 he was a lecturer for food and meat hygiene at the Senator for Health in Bremen and from 1996 to 2001 head of the food monitoring, animal welfare and veterinary service of the state of Bremen. In April 2009, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) Dr. Eberhard Haunhorst appointed honorary professor. As an internationally recognized expert in matters of food safety, consumer protection and public veterinary science, Prof. Dr. Haunhorst member of numerous commissions and committees.