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Evidence-informed food safety policies and risk management decisions

FAO Technical meeting 18-22 November 2013, FAO, Rome. Context paper and supporting reference materials.







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    Book (series)
    Food safety risk management: Evidence-informed policies and decisions, considering multiple factors
    -
    2017
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    These FAO guidance materials were developed to support food safety risk managers and policy-makers in applying structured, evidence-informed processes to decisionmaking. Food safety issues can have widespread impacts beyond public health. They may contribute to, or detract from the achievement of goals in areas including nutrition, food security, food trade and market access, economic and rural development. The risk analysis paradigm guides risk managers to ensure their decisions are based on an assessment of risks to health, and consideration of other factors in choosing the preferred risk management decision. The materials assist decision-makers in applying a multi-factor approach and is applied to two key decision areas – setting food safety priorities, and selecting risk management options. The principles and approaches can be applied to all food safety decisions. Case studies are included as examples of how to apply this decision-making process. Using this guidance will lead to improved food safety decisions, where decision-makers can demonstrate how evidence was used and any trade-offs made. It also facilitates stakeholder engagement, transparency and accountability throughout the decision-making process.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Evidence-informed food safety decision-making considering multiple criteria 2013
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    Food safety risk managers should base their decisions on clear evidence and assessment of the potential for foodborne hazards to cause harm. Decisions facing food safety risk managers are varied, and at times complex, e.g. setting food safety priorities, resource allocations, policy recommendations and selecting the most appropriate intervention to minimize food safety risks. In determining appropriate action, decision-makers often need to consider the consequences relating to more than one risk factor eg. impact on public health, trade, food access and security. Making sound strategic decisions is the primary responsibility of food safety risk managers. However to be effective in building strong food safety systems and programmes, they also need to influence higher level decisions and ultimately the priority given to food safety in their country. Basing decisions on the best available data and evidence strengthens their influence. The full set of Highlights on FAO food safety and quality activities is available at the following Url: http://www.fao.org/3/a-au638e/index.html.
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    Book (series)
    An ecosystemic framework for analysing evidence-informed policy systems for agricultural transformation
    Case study of Benin
    2023
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    The production and use of evidence for agricultural policy is critical to prioritizing and targeting effective agricultural transformation reforms in African countries. International development organizations have supported programmes that promote evidence-informed policies, however, this support has often been focused on short-term and externally driven solutions, with limited impact in the long run. Faced with this scenario, there is now a growing interest in the role of resilient and sustainable national systems that can generate organic evidence-informed agricultural policy. Yet, there is limited knowledge on how to map out and analyse such systems, which is critical to fostering their emergence and the later uptake of evidence in policymaking. This study draws on ecological science and social network analysis to develop and test a framework that can help understand evidence-policy systems and their potential to sustainably promote evidence-informed policymaking in the agricultural sector. Applying this framework in Benin, the study found that beyond the Ministry of Agriculture, other organizations produce, broker or use evidence such as data, research, evaluation and expert knowledge in a context that is influenced by the institutional rules and setup, the incentives in place and the funding landscape. Furthermore, the paper analyses the sustainability of the evidence-policy system in Benin through its power, resilience and capability. Finally, it provides policy recommendations with the key entry points to improve on and how a system like this can be used to improve agricultural policymaking.

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