Enhancing Food Safety The Role of the Food and Drug Administration (2010) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
9 Improving Food Safety and Risk Communication
9 Improving Food Safety and Risk Communication
Pages 257-292
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 257... ...
. This chapter complements those discussions by focusing on risk communication activities at the FDA across contexts, but with emphasis on those contexts in which the FDA provides
|
From page 258... ...
. The FDA's food risk communication activities range from issuing recalls and outbreak notifications, to sharing information about food defense with other countries, to providing guidance and training materials for food safety organizations and individuals.
|
From page 259... ...
Communication with the food industry is emphasized as an area that warrants increased attention. The chapter also offers recommendations for enhancing food safety and risk communication activities with regard to consumers, public health officials, and other health professionals.
|
From page 260... ...
. The agency's risk communication activities are coordinated by an internal Communication Council.
|
From page 261... ...
Office of External • Provides numerous announcements of agency actions, including Affairs, Office of food recalls and implementation of requirements under the Food Public Affairs (OPA) and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.
|
From page 262... ...
Policy Office of Policy, • Analyzes risk communication activities and assists agency Planning, and components in planning to improve the effectiveness of those Budget, Office of activities. Planning • Coordinates the Risk Communication Advisory Committee (RCAC)
|
From page 263... ...
• Develops and implements comprehensive risk communication roll-out strategies to reach all stakeholder groups, domestic and international, including industry, consumers, state and local public health and regulatory agencies, the clinical community, and media, with FDA messages related to emergencies as well as new regulations and guidance and other initiatives. • Directs the development of long-term consumer education campaigns for multiple targeted audiences and messages related to food safety and nutrition best practices.
|
From page 264... ...
Meeting agendas have included the review of a draft strategic plan for risk communication at the FDA, research on risk communication, and communication strategies during food recalls and outbreaks (FDA, 2009c,d)
|
From page 265... ...
optimize FDA policies on communicating risks and benefits; and (3) strengthen the science that supports effective risk communication (FDA, 2009e)
|
From page 266... ...
Risk Communication Strategic Plan Expand the FDA's capacity to generate, disseminate, and oversee effective risk communication. Capacity Strategy 1: treamline and more effectively coordinate the S development of communication messages and activities.
|
From page 267... ...
Policy Strategy 4: ssess and improve FDA communication policies in A areas of high public health impact. Strengthen the science that supports effective risk communication Science Strategy 1: dentify gaps in key areas of risk communication I knowledge and implementation, and work toward filling those gaps.
|
From page 268... ...
. In response to comments and requests in these forums, the FDA has created a website explaining the basics of its activities.7 The task force was to submit a written report to the FDA commissioner approximately 6 months after being convened, and the commissioner was to report back and confer with the Secretary of HHS on the recommendations in the report.
|
From page 269... ...
The committee encourages its continuation and future evaluation of this new activity. COMMUNICATING AT A TIME OF CRISIS: FOOD RECALLS AND OUTBREAKS The number of food recalls issued annually has increased by an order of magnitude in the last two decades and is expected to continue increasing with improved detection technologies (GAO, 2004b)
|
From page 270... ...
Thus, despite awareness of recent food recalls, an illusion of invulnerability and a lack of knowledge about the food recall process appear to be widespread among American consumers. These findings signify the need for a clear, coordinated, and centralized communication strategy for food recalls.
|
From page 271... ...
Ostrove, FDA Risk Communication Advisory Committee, National Transportation Safety Board Conference Center, Washington, DC, August 13, 2009.
|
From page 272... ...
. As the leading food safety oversight agency, the FDA must incorporate the risk and safety communication needs of the food industry and regulators into its risk communication strategy.
|
From page 273... ...
Regulatory agencies frequently refer food producers, particularly small establishments, to Cooperative Extension Services for training and information on food safety and the implementation of new regulations. Cooperative Extension Services often advertise their programs through their websites and by mailing risk communication and training notifications to the food industry.
|
From page 274... ...
. Understanding what consumers know, value, and do is an essential first step in providing them with relevant information in a form they can understand and use; risk communication research can bridge the gap between what experts say and consumers hear, or need to hear, about handling food safely (Fischhoff and Downs, 1997; Morgan et al., 2001; Bruhn, 2005; Fischhoff, 2009)
|
From page 275... ...
, although, as with other risks (Weinstein, 1989; Rothman et al., 1996) , consumers generally tend to be optimistic and, as noted above, to believe that foodborne illnesses and food recalls are more relevant to the general public than to themselves (Miles and Scaife, 2003; Hallman et al., 2009)
|
From page 276... ...
. Risk communications that build on empirical evidence of, and interactive exchanges about, consumer understanding and food risks and benefits can help consumers make informed decisions (Morgan et al., 2001; Bruhn, 2005; Fischhoff, 2009)
|
From page 277... ...
Health Professionals From the FDA's perspective, both the public and clinical health professional communities are important audiences for food safety education and risk communication. This is especially true for specific subgroups, such as doctors, educators, media specialists, and others who either work with food safety or mediate risk communications with the public or other stakeholders.
|
From page 278... ...
MECHANISMS FOR EFFECTIVE INFORMATION ExCHANGE AND TRANSPARENCY The FDA has available a number of mechanisms to enhance its food risk communication and education efforts. They include stakeholder involvement through formal partnerships, ad hoc public forums and consultations, and innovative interactive web tools.
|
From page 279... ...
In addition to those formal partnerships to facilitate communication, other means of collaborating would enhance the FDA's risk communication activities. Tabletop discussions,22 public forums, and consultations with scientists and advocacy groups on critical decisions would enable the agency to anticipate new needs and reactions to new activities and adapt appropriately.
|
From page 280... ...
Communications with drug manufacturers could be another important source of surveillance through automated monitoring of prescriptions or sales of medications, such as antidiarrheal drugs. All of these approaches would require thorough research and demonstration, and in some cases legislative change, but their potential for enhancing food risk communications warrants the effort.
|
From page 281... ...
The committee did not receive sufficient information from the FDA to evaluate the research capacity in social and behavioral sciences pertaining to risk communication in the food safety area. One potential avenue for educating consumers and promoting safe food handling, for which further research on effectiveness is needed, is labeling of food products with respect to safety.
|
From page 282... ...
The FDA should develop and sustain a label research program to inform the design of safety labels that effectively communicate and enhance safe food-handling behaviors among consumers. When a suitable body of evidence is available, regulations for mandatory safety messages on food products should be considered.
|
From page 283... ...
As an example, the FDA often uses its own workforce as surrogate groups representing public responses, which is a less than ideal subject sample. Given that such research does not collect sensitive personal information, is not overly intrusive, and likely contributes to more effective communications and warnings and therefore to public protection, consideration should be given to reducing or eliminating human subjects−related review requirements under 45 CFR 46.101 for social science research -- in particular, research on perceptions and communications that meets appropriate confidentiality standards.
|
From page 284... ...
Recent regulatory and organizational changes have improved the prospects for addressing these barriers, but much remains to be done to make the FDA a trusted and authoritative resource for food safety information so it can meet its food safety communication responsibilities effectively. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The RCAC, established in 2008, and the 2009 risk communication strategic planning are positive initiatives that will help the FDA improve its risk communication efforts.
|
From page 285... ...
The committee recommends that the FDA continue to respond to the advice of the RCAC and offers the following recommendations to enhance the FDA's risk communication and education functions. Recommendation 9-1: In its effort to integrate risk communication into the recommended risk-based food safety management system, the FDA should play a leadership role in coordinating the education of the food industry, the public, clinical health professionals, and public
|
From page 286... ...
Recommendation 9-3: The FDA should improve its understanding of the knowledge and behavior of industry, health professions personnel, and consumers with respect to food safety, paying specific attention to knowledge about demographic groups that are particularly susceptible to food risks. In making critical decisions about risk communication to implement recommendations 9-1, 9-2, and 9-3, the FDA should explore new mechanisms (e.g., tabletop discussions, public forums, consultations)
|
From page 287... ...
Journal of Food Protection 70(8)
|
From page 288... ...
2009c. 00 Meeting Materials, Risk Communication Adisory Committee to the Food and Drug Administration.
|
From page 289... ...
2009. Consumer Responses to Food Recalls: 00 National Surey Report.
|
From page 290... ...
1989. Improing Risk Communication.
|
From page 291... ...
2000. Food safety and the consumer -- perils of poor risk communication.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.