RISK COMMUNICATION AND RISK MANAGEMENT FOR ENSURING FOOD SAFETY - CASE OF E. COLI OUTBREAK

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of risk communication as part of risk management for ensuring safe food. It is crucial that by means of pertinent risk communication activities the objectives of risk management for ensuring safe food are successfully met. Without effective coordination between the public health sector and the food safety sector, consumer protection and their rights are not ensured. The paper presents activities in the case of an E.coli outbreak in Germany last year, their weaknesses and lessons we have learned. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using empirical evaluation research is indispensable. Evaluation means the scientific assessment of the content, process and effects (consequences, outcomes, impacts) of an intervention and their assessment according to defined criteria (goals, objectives, values). Findings: Through the evaluation of different activities of risk management and risk communication processes, in the case of E.coli outbreaks at the EU and national levels, we determined some important facts. There were inabilities to recognize the source of the hazard in a timely manner, moreover there were weaknesses in providing traceability of food and ineffective risk communication which contributed to a reduction of consumers' trust in the authorities. Research limitations: Consideration only one case of a foodborne disease outbreak can not be a measure of system performance to ensure safe food. Originality/Value: This was a serious case of foodborne disease with serious consequences offering hard lessons to be learned.