Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety

What Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety does

AGES (Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH) is an Austrian government agency founded in 2002 that operates as Austria's central statutory authority for public health, food safety, animal health, and plant health under the integrated One Health framework. The agency serves Austria's 9+ million population across all nine federal states through 300+ national reference laboratories and centers, with operational sites in Vienna, Mödling, Linz, Innsbruck, and Graz. AGES delivers services through multiple specialized institutes covering medical microbiology and hygiene, veterinary investigations, food safety analytics, plant protection products, radiation protection, hydroanalytics, and integrative risk assessment, supported by 1,001-5,000 employees and oversight from the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK) alongside the agriculture and climate/environment ministries.

The agency's core product portfolio centers on surveillance and information systems: the AGES-Radar for Infectious Diseases, Epimap interactive animal disease maps, the Tierseuchenradar (Animal Disease Radar), the Mosquito Alert citizen science app, the Gelsen-Monitoring mosquito surveillance system, and a 24/7 Product Warnings & Recalls service for food, toys, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. It also maintains reference databases including the Bio Plant Propagation Material Database, Disease Pathogens A-Z, Residues & Contaminants A-Z, and Pest Pathogens A-Z, and offers specialized services such as farm-specific vaccines (Bestandsspezifische Impfstoffe), laboratory practice training, and the AGES Academy educational program. These products operate as interconnected public health infrastructure rather than a unified commercial software platform.

AGES is fully state-owned with no venture, PE, or public-market ownership, and is funded through the Austrian federal budget under a statutory mandate rather than commercial pricing. The agency holds National Reference Laboratory designations for 300+ pathogens, serves as Austria's EFSA Focal Point, and coordinates with international bodies including ECDC, WHO, WOAH, and EMA. Distribution is exclusively domestic through official laboratory networks, government reporting systems, and healthcare/veterinary channels, with no international commercial operations or publicly disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety

Legal name

Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH

Website

https://ages.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

AGES is Austria's national statutory agency for public health, food safety, animal health, and plant health, operating under the One Health framework through 1,001-5,000 employees and 300+ reference laboratories across nine federal states, funded by the Austrian federal government under BMSGPK oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health and Food Safety Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (92312), Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Public Health & One Health Programs (HLAMAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Public Health Laboratories (Reference & Confirmatory) (HLAMAJAH), Food Safety & Veterinary Public Health (Meat/Milk Inspection) (HLAMAJAJ), Animal Health Policy, Standards & International Coordination (e.g., WOAH/FAO) (HLAMAJAO), Veterinary Pharmacy, Vaccine & Biologics Services (AFAEANAK)

Keywords

• Public health services
• Food safety testing
• Disease surveillance
• Veterinary diagnostics
• Laboratory analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AGES is Austria's national public agency providing laboratory-based health, food safety, veterinary and plant health services under a One Health mandate. Its core offerings include statutory reference diagnostics for more than 300 pathogens, official food and feed testing, real-time infectious disease and animal disease surveillance, pharmaceutical market surveillance and pharmacovigilance, product warning and recall coordination, and laboratory practitioner training, all delivered through its own institute laboratories.

Product overview

AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety) operates as a comprehensive public health and food safety agency offering a portfolio of information platforms, laboratory services, and monitoring systems. The core offerings include the Infectious Disease Radar for real-time outbreak tracking, a 24/7 Product Warnings & Recalls system, and Food Safety Analytics services. The agency provides specialized databases including a Bio Plant Propagation Material Database, Disease Pathogens A-Z, Residues & Contaminants A-Z, and Pest Pathogens A-Z. Additional services include Farm-Specific Vaccines for veterinary use, Laboratory Practice Training programs, and the Mosquito Alert citizen science application for vector surveillance. These products operate as interconnected public health infrastructure rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AGES-Radar für Infektionskrankheiten (Infectious Disease Radar) Public-facing surveillance system providing current situation reports and outbreak information on infectious diseases in Austria for citizens, healthcare professionals, veterinarians and authorities.
• Product Warnings & Product Recalls (Produktwarnungen & Produktrückrufe) Round-the-clock product safety warning and recall publication service covering food, children's toys, medicines, medical devices and other consumer products regulated under Austrian product safety law.
• Food Safety Analytics (Service Analytik) Accredited laboratory testing and assessment service for food, feed, cosmetics, toys and child care products, offered with expert consulting to food business operators, authorities and the public.
• Bio Plant Propagation Material Database (Bio-Pflanzenvermehrungsmaterial-Datenbank) Searchable database service enabling users to locate organic seed and plant propagation materials through multiple filter criteria, supporting organic agriculture producers and regulators.
• Farm-Specific Vaccines (Bestandsspezifische Impfstoffe) Bespoke autogenous vaccine production service covering the prevailing pathogen spectrum of individual livestock farms, supplied to veterinarians for targeted herd immunization prophylaxis.
• Laboratory Practice Training (Laborpraxis) Practical continuing-education course series for laboratory practitioners covering detection of residues and pathogens and confirmation of food, feed and raw material quality, delivered as part of the AGES Akademie.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monitors and manages food safety across all 9 Austrian states
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bundesamt für Sicherheit im Gesundheitswesen (BASG)coreOthersFederal Office for Safety in Health Care - AGES provides medical market surveillance services including drug approval and market monitoring under the BASG framework. BASG serves as the primary regulatory authority with AGES providing technical and analytical support.
• Bundesamt für Ernährungssicherheit (BAES)coreOthersFederal Office for Food Safety - AGES collaborates on food safety testing, plant protection products certification, and seed authorization. BAES sets regulatory standards while AGES provides laboratory analysis and technical expertise.
• Bundesamt für Verbrauchergesundheit (BAVG)coreOthersFederal Office for Consumer Health - Cooperates with AGES on consumer protection measures, product safety, and public health initiatives. Joint efforts on tobacco coordination and consumer health advisories.
• Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz (Federal Ministry)coreOthersAGES operates under the umbrella of the Austrian Federal Ministry, providing scientific support and technical services for health policy development and consumer protection legislation.
• Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien (Vetmeduni Vienna)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for veterinary medicine research and education. Collaborated on joint recommendations for Bluetongue disease vaccination in 2026 alongside Gesundheitsministerium and Tiergesundheit Österreich.
• Tiergesundheit ÖsterreichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal Health Austria - Strategic partner for animal disease management. Jointly developed recommendations for Bluetongue disease vaccination 2026 with AGES, Vetmeduni Vienna, and Gesundheitsministerium.
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGES serves as EFSA Focal Point for Austria, providing data and scientific expertise to support EFSA's pan-European food safety risk assessments and regulatory decisions.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on disease surveillance and outbreak reporting. AGES provides Austrian infectious disease data to ECDC's European surveillance systems including West Nile Virus mapping.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGES follows WHO guidelines for disease classification and reporting. The agency aligns Mpox disease information with WHO recommendations and participates in international health emergency protocols.
• World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on animal health standards and reporting. AGES follows WOAH guidelines for notifiable animal diseases including Mpox in animals under the Animal Diseases Act.
• European Medicines Agency (EMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGES provides regulatory support for vaccine approvals. Tecovirimat for Mpox treatment received EU approval through EMA, with AGES handling related pharmacovigilance and market monitoring.
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides scientific expertise on food safety and zoonotic disease risks. EFSA publishes assessments and guidance used by AGES in consumer protection activities.
• Medizinische Universität Wien (Medical University of Vienna)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Reference Centre for Flavivirus Infections in Humans is located at the Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna. AGES collaborates on West Nile Virus and other flavivirus surveillance and diagnostics.
• Tabakfonds (Tobacco Coordination Office)minorOthersAGES hosts the Tobacco Coordination Office under tabak.gv.at, providing coordination for tobacco control and regulatory oversight in Austria.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority): EU-level food safety risk assessment authority. AGES is an EFSA Focal Point; EFSA sits above AGES in the regulatory hierarchy and represents both a partner and a structural threat to national-level authority.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): U.S. federal agency covering food safety, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and disease-related diagnostics. Operates at much larger scale than AGES with overlapping food/pharma surveillance mandate but different jurisdictional context.
• ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control): EU infectious disease surveillance and response body. AGES reports into ECDC for cross-border surveillance; ECDC's growing mandate post-COVID competes with national agencies for authority and funding.

Regional players

• Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO/BLV): Switzerland's federal office for food safety and veterinary matters. Comparable scope (food safety, animal health, plant protection) but operates under Swiss rather than EU regulatory framework.

Direct peers

• ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety): France's equivalent public health and food safety reference agency. Closely comparable to AGES in scope (food, animal health, environmental health, veterinary medicines) and operational structure (reference laboratories, scientific risk assessment).
• Sciensano: Belgian federal research and reference institute covering animal and human health. Directly comparable to AGES in One Health scope, reference lab function, and federal mandate, though smaller in scale.
• RIVM (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment): Dutch public health and environmental research institute. Comparable to AGES in its integrated human health, infectious disease surveillance, food safety, and environmental monitoring mandate.
• FAVV-AFSCA (Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain): Belgium's federal food safety authority with regulatory and inspection mandate. Comparable to AGES's food safety and plant health functions with similar laboratory-based surveillance approach.
• German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Germany's federal agency for risk assessment in food safety, animal health, and consumer protection. Operates as Germany's One Health equivalent to AGES with similar statutory mandate, reference laboratory functions, and EFSA focal point role.

Emerging players

• Labor Dr. Wisplinghoff: Independent German medical laboratory providing specialized diagnostic and reference services. Represents a private-sector peer in the medical diagnostics and reference testing space where AGES also competes for clinical microbiology work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaDErMBvGGb1FZoLmdRenbQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/agesnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/austrian-agency-for-health-and-food-safety
• Instagraminstagram.com/ages_news
• Xx.com/agesnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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