Autoridade de Segurança

Alimentar e Económica

What is Risk Analysis in Food Safety and Nutrition?

From Risk Assessment

to

Risk-Benefit Assessment

FILIPA MELO DE VASCONCELOS GENERAL-SUBINSPECTOR

2

ASAE – Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica

The Portuguese ECONOMIC and FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY

Central Department of Public Administration

The National Authority responsible for law enforcement on food safety and economic activities in general (risk management);

The National Authority in charge to perform official food controls under MANCP;

Responsible for the Assessment and Communication of the potential risks on the food chain (risk assessment /RBA and risk communication);

The National FOCAL POINT and ADVISORY FORUM of EFSA

Responsible for the decision of sanctions and fines concerning administrative infringements;

The National liaison body with other Member States;

ASAE has Police and Crime Investigation Powers

3

ASAE’s Territorial Establishment

MIRANDELA DELEGATION

NORTHERN REGIONAL UNIT - PORTO

CENTRAL REGIONAL UNIT - COIMBRA

CASTELO BRANCO DELEGATION

SANTARÉM DELEGATION

SOUTHERN REGIONAL UNIT - LISBON

ALENTEJO DELEGATION - ÉVORA

ALGARVE DELEGATION - FARO

BARCELOS DELEGATION

TONDELA DELEGATION

VIMIOSO MEMORIAL

Headquarters + Food Safety LAB + 11 venues

ASAE Macro Organic Structure

Central Services

Lisbon • Official Control

Plans

• Legal Department

• Investigation of

Information • Logistics &

Management

Southern

Regional Unit (Lisbon)

Central

Regional Unit (Coimbra)

Northern

Regional Unit (Porto)

Food and Risk Analysis Departement

compliant samples

Analytical results

shown in ASAE

website

non-compliant samples

Non-criminal infringements

Criminal infringements

(Supported

by 6

specialised

Technical

Committees)

Food Safety Laboratory

Ph-Chemical Lab. Microbiology Lab. Beverages Lab.

Scientific Council

Additives and Contaminants in the Food Chain

Food, Health and Animal Welfare

Biological Hazards

Plant Health and GMOs

Nutrition and Food Allergies

Risk Communication

Chamber of

Tasters.

Mission

National specialized

administrative Authority within the framework of the Food Safety and economic surveillance

Responsável pela

RISK ASSESSMENT/ RBA &

RISK COMMUNICATION

Inspection and prevention of the regulatory

compliance of food and non-food activity

Principles

Scientific Independence

Caution

Credibility and transparency

Confidentiality

20-06-

2018 6

RISK: means a

function of the

probability of an

adverse health effect

and the severity of

that effect,

consequential to a

HAZARD

HAZARD: means a

biological, chemical

or physical agent in

conditions of food

or feed with the

potential to cause

an adverse health

effect

BENEFIT: means the probability of

a POSITIVE Health effect and/or probability of a reduction of an adverse health effect in an organism, system or Population in reaction to exposure to an agent

RISK ASSESSMENT

Scientific definition of what a danger represents for a population exposed to it. Prepared on the

basis of epidemiological, experimental and mathematical models, including a quantitative

component expression of uncertainty.

(SCIENCE BASED PROCESS)

Hazard Identification Hazard Characterization

Exposure Assessment Risk Characterization

RISK COMMUNICATION

Interactive Exchange of informations

Between RAssessors & RManagers,

and those involved in Food Chain

In order to

achieve a high

level of

protection of

human life and

health, the

legislation is

based on:

RISK MANAGEMENT The process, distinct from RA, of weighing policy alternatives in consultation with all interested parties, considering RA and other factors relevant for the health protection of consumers and for the promotion of fair trade practices & if needed, selecting appropriate prevention and control options. (POLICY BASED) RISK ANALYSIS

(Risk Analysis components

adapted from FAO/WHO,2009)

Sophie Privat

For ECOCERT

Information to risk management decisions

Questions for risk assessors to ask risk managers Are the risks sufficiently well defined to support a risk management

decision? Was the right problem analysed? Was the problem adequately characterized?

Questions for risk managers to ask risk assessors What effects might occur? How adverse are the effects? How likely is it that effects will occur? When and where do the effects occur? What are the critical data gaps, and will information be available in the near

future to fill these gaps? Are more iterations required? How could monitoring help evaluate the results of the risk management

decision?

CARRYING OUT traditional RISK ANALYSIS

The Risk Analysis process normally begins with a risk management

step, to define the problem, articulate the goals of the Risk Analysis

and identify questions to be answered by the Risk Assessment, if and

when one is required.

The science-based tasks of “measuring” and “describing” the nature

of the risk being analysed are performed during the RA

RM & RA are performed within an open and transparent environment

involving extensive communicatication and dialogue, in which a

variety of interested parties may participate

This RA process often

culminates with the

implementation of Risk-

reducing measures and

contínuous monitoring of

their effectiveness by

CA’s

• RISK ASSESSMENT TERMINOLOGY

Topics: Lexical Harmonization

Fundamental to successful Communicators terminologies used by RA Harmonize

For the CHALENGE OF≠MEANINGS between ≠ disciplines &≠ areas of science!

• Lexical Harmonization

Opportunity for the International Organizations EFSA- EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY Review in 2012

CAC- CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMISSION OIE- WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH

IPPC- INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION CONVENTION ATRAVÉS DAS CONVENÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS

SPS Agreement – Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

WTO-World Trade Organization

WHO- World Health Organization FAO- Food and Agriculture Organization

…

• Effective Communication LEXICAL HARMONIZATION /MATCHING Scientifics Opinions

↑ CLARITY

Identify RELEVANCE and address

the merits of the use of

quantitative and qualitative

expressions

Risk and UNCERTAINTY in Risk

Assessment

Improves the UNDERSTANDING of the

MESSAGE and Reinforces public

CONFIDENCE!!

20-06-

2018 13

20-06-

2018 14

20-06-

2018 15 From: Maarten Nauta, Geraldine Boué,

Morten Poulsen – DTU Food

National Food Institute ; ONIRIS-INRA

Understand what concerns people/what they

want to know CITIZENS & NETIZENS!!!

20-06-

2018 17

By 2050 we will be 9 billion people with almost 70% of the population living in urban areas.

How to feed a city is one of the great issues of our time!

The food cost and the amount that people are at disposal to pay is not equal. Most of the foods have a cost much superior that they cost.

Increasing volume of international trade.

Expanding international and regional bodies and

resulting legal obligations.

Increasing complexity of food types and geographical

sources.

Intensification and industrialization of agriculture and

animal production.

Increasing travel and tourism.

Changing food handling patterns.

Changing dietary patterns and food preparation

preferences.

New food processing methods.

New food and agricultural technologies.

Increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics.

Changing human/animal interactions with potential for

disease transmission.

The Food is sold 170% below its actual cost!

Poor nutrition is the main reason to

promote the many years of life we have with illness, and, these years have a cost, a damage cost!

The RBA have a major importance for Food safety and Nutrition

RBA provides scientific information that can be used to provide dietary advice and used as a basis of an important tool to policy-making

In PT, for instance, according the data published in last days by the coordinator of The

National Program to Promote an Healthy Life, We have :

1 Million diabetic people; almost 3 Million with high arterial pressure, and more than half of the PT population

around 6 Million suffers from Obesity

Thus, with oncology problems and this 3 pathologies our National Budget to Health is consumed at around 70%!!

• Exposure to personal risk is assumed as a daily challenge in our lives. Most of people consent that some benefits are achieved only if we incurring in some sort of risk, even that the sensation of a controlled situation isn’t more than a felling.

• As noted by Dutch Health Council, policy-making is not a scientific but a political and legislative process.

• RBA provides scientific information that can be used as a basis for policy-making.

• . Food Safety Authorities (FSA) must balance their action to provide food consumers protection as well as the correspondent assurance on the global fair trade

• FSA should integrate in their management measures a balance response aiming to achieve the compromise between the risk acceptable given the correspondent benefits

CONCLUSIONS

FMV - A "CAIXA NEGRA" do Sector Vitivinícola 24

THANK YOU!

FILIPA MELO DE VASCONCELOS