Development of a roadmap for action on Evidence‐based risk communication in the EU Food Safety System

Abstract

Abstract In March 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the report ‘Technical assistance in the field of risk communication’, outlining four key areas for advancing scientific evidence to cover knowledge gaps in food safety related risk communication research. The four areas covered included: (1) false information related to food safety (2) effectiveness of transparency initiatives (3) insights into consumer trade‐offs related to risks and benefits (4) linking factors behind perception and behaviour. The successive EFSA theme paper on ‘Evidence‐based risk communication in the EU food system’ clarified the scope and objectives within each research area. Building on the findings in these two publications, an action Roadmap was developed which delves deeper into these areas and identifies key challenges and knowledge gaps through rigorous desk research, literature reviews, and interviews with key stakeholders. The produced roadmap outlines eight project proposals each addressing specific needs and covers all the four areas. By implementing the proposals outlined and described throughout the report, EFSA will be able to further improve risk communication including cooperation and engagement with its stakeholders in the EU food safety ecosystem. Each proposal details suggested activities to be performed, expected impact, potential challenges, collaboration and cooperation opportunities and is supported by SWOT and PESTLE analyses. Finally, a prioritisation strategy is presented for the implementation of the proposals within and across the four research areas in the short and medium term.