Risk Management and Risk Communication in Food Safety

Recommended Prerequisites

The recommended prerequisites include what is taught in the 1 st cycle courses in the area of Pharmacy, Medicine, Veterinary, Nutrition, and Agricultural, Bioanalytical, Biological, Chemical Sciences or Engineering or, other courses considered appropriate by the FFUC Scientific Council.

Teaching Methods

Lectures: lectures with a strong component of dialogue and application in practical cases, essentially using the visual media ("data show").

Learning Outcomes

Risk analysis is a method that aims to assess deeper the risk, facilitating the adoption of decisions on risk management, and communication. Risk analysis consists of three steps: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication.
The key competencies to develop will be:
Importance of risk analysis for food safety
Knowing and understanding the principles and process of risk management.
Understand the steps of identifying options for risk management.
Understanding the different approaches for different types of danger.
Understand the flow of information that must exist for risk analysis, among risk management and risk assessment teams, consumers, industry, academia and other stakeholders.
Recognizing the elements for an effective dialogue on risk assessments and conclusions about management options.
Understanding the relationship with the press.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Risk Analysis: Concepts, principles and bases
Risk Management: Concepts, principles and bases
Communication Management
Concepts and key elements in Risk Communication
Importance of Risk Communication
Information Systems in Food Safety
Food Network Alert
Food Crisis Management.

Head Lecturer(s)

Fernando Jorge dos Ramos

Assessment Methods

Assessment
The evaluation is made by exam. This consists of one test, which consists in one final write examination: 100.0%

Bibliography

Chartier J, Gabler S. Risk communication and government: theory and application for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Ottawa: Canadian Food Inspection Agency; 2001
Codex Alimentarius Commission. Appendix IV. Working principles for risk analysis for application in the framework of the Codex Alimentarius. In: Report of the Twenty- Sixty session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission; 2003, 30 June - 7 July; Rome
Hendrix MJ, Campbell PW. Communicating science: from the laboratory bench to the breakfast table. Anat Rec. 2001; 15;265(4):165-7.
Jonge J, Trijp H, Renes R J, Frewer L. Understanding Consumer Confidence in the Safety of Food: Its Two-Dimensional Structure and Determinants. Risk Analysis. 2007,.
Lofstedt, R. E. (2006) How can we make food risk communication better: Where are we and where are we going? Journal of Risk Research, Vol. 9 Issue 8
Löfstedt, R.E. Science Communication and the Swedish Acrylamide Alarm. Under review at the Journal of Health Communication.