Frans Verstraete graduated in 1985 as agricultural engineer at the University of Ghent (Belgium). After his studies he held positions at the University of Ghent and thereafter at the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture and he was for a period technical
adviser of the Belgian Minister of Agriculture. He is working for the European Commission since 1997. In the European Commission he has had various functions but since 2000 he is working at the Directorate General Health and Food Safety. He is responsible for the elaboration, development and management of the EU-legislation concerning certain contaminants, in particular mycotoxins, in feed and food.