The objective of these guidelines - a joint initiative of the European Food Safety Authority and national food safety organisations in Europe - is to provide a framework to assist decision-making about appropriate communications approaches in a wide variety of situations that can occur when assessing and communicating on risks related to food safety in Europe. The aim is to provide a common framework applicable for developing communications approaches on risk across public health authorities in different countries.

Table of Contents

Preface by EFSA’s Advisory Group on Risk Communications 

Preface by Anne-Laure Gassin, Chair of the Advisory Forum’s Communications Working Group and EFSA’s Communications Director

I. Introduction and objectives 

II. Principles guiding good risk communications 

II. 1. Principles in practice 

III. Factors impacting on level and type of communications 

III. 1. Level of risk from a communications perspective 

III. 2. The nature of the hazard 

III. 3. Who/what is affected? 

III. 4. How people/animals/plants/the environment are affected 

III. 5. Levels of exposure to the hazard/risk 

III. 6. Ability to control risk 

III. 7. Other factors relating to risk perception 

III. 8. Levels of communication required

IV. Tools and channels 

IV. 1. Media relations 

IV. 2. Websites 

IV. 3. Printed publications 

IV. 4. Digital publications 

IV. 5. Meetings and workshops 

IV. 6. Public consultations 

IV. 7. Partner/stakeholder networks 

IV. 8. Social networking (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) 

IV. 9. Blogging 

IV. 10. Microblogging (Twitter) 

V. Learning from experience 

EFSA’s Risk Assessment on Animal Cloning 

EFSA’s thematic communication approach to foodborne zoonotic diseases 

Salt Campaign 

University of Southampton research looking at the effect on children of certain artificial colours 

Q-fever in the Netherlands: Openness and transparency 

Case history on food supplements in Sweden 

Case Study – Irish Dioxin Crisis 

Further reading 

Examples of other guideline initiatives

Download:

Download in English from the link below (PDF):