EFSA’s social scientists have completed a draft assessment of risk communication theory and best practice. The work will support the European Commission implement a new provision of the 2019 Transparency Regulation, namely a ‘General plan for risk communication’ on EU food safety.

The deadline for comments is 17 January 2021.

We are calling on risk communication and science communication experts and specialists to review and comment on the draft scientific report. This includes practitioners at national, EU and international risk assessment and risk management public authorities. The document provides an examination of evidence from peer-reviewed and grey literature covering critical issues in EU food safety risk communication, including:

• increasing awareness, understanding and confidence in EU food safety
• communicating the difference between ‘hazard’ and ‘risk’
• tackling false information and its sources
• taking into account risk perceptions of different audiences
• targeting different audiences and tailoring information to their needs
• developing tools for EU-wide risk communication planning and operations

The Transparency Regulation states that the general plan “should promote an integrated risk communication framework followed both by the risk assessors and the risk managers in a coherent and systematic manner both at Union and national level”. Following the consultation, EFSA’s social scientists will review the feedback while finalising the scientific report, scheduled for March/April 2021.