Transcript Risk Communication

Agricultural Products
Safety Risk Communication
Professor Yunbo Luo
China Agricultural University
November 2016
1
Outline
1
Overview of Risk Communication Abroad
2
Current Situation of Risk Communication in China
3
Effective Communication Principles
4
Policy Suggestions
Food Safety Risk Analysis Framework (WHO)
Risk Assessment
Risk Management
Scientific Process
Policy Management
Risk Communication
Interaction of Information and Views
3
What is Risk Communication?
Risk Communication:

WHO/FAO is defined as the process by which risk assessors,
risk managers, consumers, enterprises, academia and other
stakeholders that exchange information about certain risk,
factors involved in the risk, including process that involves
exchanging information and views, explanation of risk
assessment results and risk management decisions.
4
Risk Communication Goals:
-To enhance understandings among stakeholders
-To facilitate rational decisions
-To narrow the cognitive differences
-To build consensus
Effective Risk Communication

Can timely correct one-sided or wrong information,
promote rational consumption, improve people’s health,
and improve quality of life

Cultivate trust and confidence in the agricultural products
safety

Improve consumer confidence in the supply and
regulation of agricultural products
Reduce negative effects of agricultural safety
emergencies
Help maintain credibility of the government


6
Food Safety and Agricultural Products Safety
Food safety, refers to food non-toxic, food harmless, in line
with food nutritional requirements, and food that do not
cause any acute, subacute or chronic harm to heath.
--- Food Safety Law
The safety of agricultural products means that primary
products derived from agriculture (ie, plants, animals,
microorganisms and their products obtained in agricultural
activities) meet the requirements for the protection of human
health and safety.
--- Law of Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products
1. General Situation of Food Safety Risk
Communication Abroad
United States, European Union, Germany
8
Organization Structure of FDA
OFFICE OF THE
COMMISSIONER
OFFICE OF POLICY,
PLANNING,
LEGISLATION, AND
ANALYSIS
OFFICE OF
LEGISLATION
OFFICE OF
POLICY
OFFICE OF PUBLIC
HEALTH STRATEGY
AND ANALYSIS
OFFICE OF
PLANNING
ECONOMIST
PLANNER
Project Evaluation
Process
Improvement Staff
RISK
COMMUNICATION
STAFF
9
FDA：the Risk Communication
Department of the Planning Office
–
–
Focused on collaborating with internal and external
FDA personnel to provide high-quality, timely
analysis and insights.
The relevant personnel are from FDA centers and
offices, as well as other government agencies.
10
FDA：the Risk Communication Department
of the Planning Office
Main responsibilities
 Coordinate
risk communication policy measures and
strategic plans
 Coordinate
 Help
relevant risk communication agenda
build and share best practice and standard
operating procedures of risk communication
 Conduct
risk
communication
methodologies
and
interdisciplinary research
 Management
and coordination of the FDA Risk
Communication Advisory Committee
11
FDA——Risk Communication Goals
To promote public awareness of scientific
knowledge and decisions in order to promote
public health


To communicate directly with consumers
To guide enterprises to do a good job of product
risk communication
12
The core areas of FDA risk communication
 Communicate
science
 Communicate
capacity
 Communicate policy
13
FDA——Risk Communication Advisory Committee
Includes sociologists, psychologists and other 15 experts
from different disciplines
Offer guidance and suggestions for FDA risk
communication
Review and evaluate risk communication studies
conducted by FDA
Promote public awareness of scientific knowledge and
decisions
14
European Food Safety Authority（EFSA）
Main duties：
Responsible
for risk assessment and risk
communication
Establish

a risk-based risk communication model：
The communication between the risk assessor and the stakeholders is often
the basis for other risk communication

Often play a leading role in risk communication services
15
EFSA——Communication Directorate（COMMS）
Main duties：
 Editorial
and Media Relations unit
Identify communication information and content
 Communications
Channels unit
Integrate communication channels and communication tools to
disseminate information
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EFSA--Advisory Group on Risk Communications（AGRC）
A group made up of sociologists, anthropologists,
consumer scientists, psychologists and other experts
 Provide
guidance and advice on how EFSA can achieve
effective risk communication; and establish best
practices and communication strategies
 Through
building contact points to communicate with
other Member States
 Regular
meetings of contact points are held by EFSA
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EFSA食品交流的对象
EFSA——Communication strategy approach

Investigate to understand public awareness and
needs
EFSA——Communication strategy approach
Investigate to understand public awareness
Build guidance, strategies and other
communication tasks
Edit risk communication guidelines：
When Food Is Cooking Up a Storm – Proven Recipes for Risk Communications
Establish a risk communication plan：(once every three years)
EFSA’s Communications strategy
21
Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
Main duties:
Risk assessment and Risk communication
Research
Cooperation
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BfR——Risk Communication
1. EFSA Focal Point and BfR Commitees

Responsible for communication and coordination
with related organizations and internal departments

Risk Communication
To understand the different stakeholders of the
cognitive situation, influencing factors and
cognitive patterns
 Explore ways to identify early risk problems
 Conduct risk impact assessment (risk trade-off)
Provide technical support for optimizing
communication strategies
BfR——Risk Communication
Example
of Risk Cognition Research
EU risk awareness survey shows that the German public concern 22% more on
the pesticide residues than the British. BfR conducts an awareness survey on the
risk of pesticide residues to understand the level of public concern, needs and
causes.
The results show that the public
is poorly informed about pesticide
residues and has much
misunderstandings. 70% of the
public believe that the use of
pesticides in food is illegal.
The results can help develop the
communication strategy,
targeting on the use of pesticide
and relevant regulations and
enhance the effectiveness of
communication.
BfR——Risk Communication
3. Editorial and Media Relations unit

Responsible for informing public risk information (risk assessment
results and processes)

Translating scientific conclusions into a language that the public can
understand

Offer advices on health protection to consumers

Communicate with the media
BfR——Risk Communication
4. Activities Planning Unit
 Responsible
 Organize
for designing communication strategy
activities around stakeholders
Includes：Expert meetings, Forum, Training activities (public
health services), Open days, Green Life Week etc.
 Evaluate
and improve communication strategies
BfR——Communication Strategies
Risk communication ways:
One-way communication: including the official website, promotional materials and
other means of communication
Two-way communication

Conversational bi-directional communication: limited to questions and answers
to relevant information, including lectures, Q & A, open days, etc.

Participatory two-way communication: Participants can participate more
actively in the event. They can express their opinions and influence risk
decisions. Specific channels include hearings, consumer meetings, open forums
and so on.
27
2. Current Situation of Agricultural Products Risk
Communication in China
The main mode of communication
The main problems
Common cognitive errors
28
The main mode of communication





Traditional information dissemination
Traditional media-based communication channels
Complaints, reporting channels and public comments
Provide information consultation
Health education activities
29
The main problems (Government level):
Imperfect
system
• Lack of professional institutional support and working
mechanisms
Short-sighted•
•
layout
Lack of
skills
Inadequate
investment
Lack of integration with daily work, lack of continuity and consistency;
Lack of process communication
• Weak risk communication awareness; conservative and
rigid; lack of skills; do no know what and how to say
• Lack of professional risk communication staff and
underfunding。
The main problems (from a social perspective):

Challenges from multiple sectors(risk/social transformation,
public scientific literacy, media attributes, etc.), making it
more difficult for China to do agricultural risk communication
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Technological progress
exposes more risk
Uncertain risks of new
technological innovations
Uncertainty of statistical
assumptions
Unfair Risk of Agricultural
Product Safety
Extreme uncertainty of the food safety risk
Public scientific literacy
Chinese citizens' scientific
literacy survey
Nov 2011
•调查显示：中
国居民的洗手
•调查显示：中
行为和知识状
国居民的洗手
况都不容乐观
行为和知识状
，正确洗手率
况都不容乐观
仅为4%。
，正确洗手率
仅为4%。
Survey on Hand Washing
全国居民洗手状况白皮书
Oct 2011
Results：
•Hand washing behavior of
Chinese residents and
•调查显示：中国居民的洗手行
knowledge situation is not
为和知识状况调查显示：中国
optimistic, right hand washing
rate is only 4%;
•The correct hand washing rate
for women was 5.1%, 2.8%
higher than that of men.
科学素养：科学知识、科学方法、科学精神
Science literacy is the core of communication.
Dominant negative effect from media
The Challenge of
Network Populism
牺牲科学屈从网络民意
民粹的狂欢中践踏科学
just only one can change E=mc2
Common Misunderstanding of Agricultural Product Safety

Requiring agricultural products safety "zero" risk

Genetically modified foods are unsafe

Excessive attention on chemical pollution, ignoring foodborne diseases

Agricultural products that have pesticides are harmful

Safe agricultural products are detected

Foreign agricultural products are more safe than domestic
products
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◦ Extreme Uncertainty in Agricultural Product Safety Risk
◦ Anger and Grievance in the Transitional Period of Social
Economy
◦ The Lack of Public Scientific Literacy and the Unbalanced
Coexistence
◦ Overall lack of foresight and skills from the government
level
◦ The attributes of media itself
◦ Scientists should be self-respect and respect science
Facing the current communication environment, it is very
challenging leading the public to see agricultural products
safety issues in a rational way.
3. The Basic Principles of Effective
Communication
38
Build Trust
Competence
Show job competence
from the technical level
Salient value similarity
Consistent with the public
concerns and respond to
them
Caring
Show sympathy and common
sense of values from the
emotional level and do
everything to protect public
health
Build
Trust
Build trusted sources of
information/organization
Principle 2
Timely and Accurate
Release in time, keep updating
accurate information
Principle 4
Easy to understand
Multiple channels
Using the new media to communicate
directly with the public
。
Principle 3
Open and Transparent
Proactive and provide
sufficient information
Principle 5
Respond to concerns
Respond to needs and concerns
and reduce the rumor
4. Suggestions
From the government perspective
From the media perspective
From risk communication discipline perspective
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Suggestions (Government Perspective)

Strengthen the top-level design, and promote the risk communication of
agricultural products to the institutionalization, legalization and discipline of
the direction.

Improve the communication and coordination between the Ministry of
Agriculture and other departments and build the risk communication
system.

Edit agricultural products safety risk communication norms and technical
guidelines; Strengthen the formation and cultivation of the risk
communication team; Carry out risk communication skills training; Further
promote risk communication capacity building

Cultivate an opinion-leading group of scientists that playing a leading role
in the scientific community
Suggestions
◦ From media perspective:

Cultivate knowledgeable journalists, and improve the scientific nature
and objectivity of the media.
◦ From the perspective of risk communication disciplines:
 Gradually establish a cross-disciplinary teaching system covering
cognitive science, communication, social psychology, etc., ;Explore the
establishment of risk communication major;

Strengthen relevant research on risk communication; Encourage
working with universities; Understand the degree of public awareness;
Explore communication means and techniques that are suitable for
China and Chinese people; Enhance the communication effect
A brighter future is ahead.