ENhanced COMmunication in Risk ANalysis (ENCOMRAN): Final report

Risk analysis is a structured approach comprising risk assessment, risk management and risk communication, where the latter includes communication between risk assessors and risk managers. In recent decades there has been a shift in paradigm from “strict separation of risk assessment and risk management” to a model where dialogue is an integral part of the process. However, as the REFIT evaluation concluded, there is still a need for closer cooperation and coordination. The goals of the ENCOMRAN project were (i) to capture and describe interactions within food and feed risk analysis at EU Member State level as perceived by risk managers and risk assessors and (ii) to summarise the lessons learned in a document that could support communication and pinpoint crucial steps in communication and procedures to overcome identified obstacles. An internet‐based survey was performed with risk assessors (n = 55), risk managers (n = 31) and those doing both (n = 9) in European countries. The results supported recent calls for more open, frequent, informal, feedback‐rich and trust‐building communication between risk assessors and risk managers. It is important to consider barriers to interaction, in particular how the prescribed independence of the scientific process is interpreted. Time management is also a key factor, especially in longer assessments. The results did not identify any one organisational model which was better than others. Rather, they indicated that it is important to provide comprehensive guidance on the appropriate level of communication at different stages of risk analysis and, importantly, the steps needed to guarantee independence and transparency of risk assessment. The results, together with interviews in the previous COMRISK project and literature data, were used as the basis for a guidance document. Overall, we recommend closer communication in framing assessment questions and full documentation of meetings to avoid misunderstandings regarding risk managers’ needs and possible deliverables.