Communicating Food Risks in an Era of Growing Public Distrust: Three Case Studies

The communication and regulation of risk has changed significantly over the past 30 years in Europe and to a noticeable but lesser extent in the United States. In Europe, this is partly due to a series of regulatory mishaps, ranging from mad cow disease in the United Kingdom to contamination of the blood supply in France. In the United States, general public confidence in the American government has been gradually declining for more than three decades, driven by a mix of cultural and political conflicts like negative political advertising, a corrosive news media, and cuts in regulatory budgets. While the former approach is based on an objective assessment of the risk, the latter is driven more by the perception of the risk, consumer sentiment, political will, and sectoral advocacy. In this article, the author examines three U.S.‐based food case studies (acrylamide, bisphenol A, and artificial food colorings) where regulations at the local and state levels are increasingly being based on perceived risk advocacy rather than on the most effective response to the risk, be it to food safety or public health, as defined by regulatory interpretation of existing data. In the final section, the author puts forward a series of recommendations for how U.S.‐based regulators can best handle those situations where the perceived risk is markedly different from the fact‐based risk, such as strengthening the communication departments of food regulatory agencies, training officials in risk communication, and working more proactively with neutral third‐party experts.     

Expert Study to Select Indicators of the Occurrence of Emerging Mycotoxin Hazards

This article describes a Delphi‐based expert judgment study aimed at the selection of indicators to identify the occurrence of emerging mycotoxin hazards related to Fusarium spp. in wheat supply chains. A panel of 29 experts from 12 European countries followed a holistic approach to evaluate the most important indicators for different chain stages (growth, transport and storage, and processing) and their relative importance. After three e‐mailing rounds, the experts reached consensus on the most important indicators for each of the three stages: wheat growth, transport and storage, and processing. For wheat growth, these indicators include: relative humidity/rainfall, crop rotation, temperature, tillage practice, water activity of the kernels, and crop variety/cultivar. For the transport and storage stage, they include water activity in the kernels, relative humidity, ventilation, temperature, storage capacity, and logistics. For wheat processing, indicators include quality data, fraction of the cereal used, water activity in the kernels, quality management and traceability systems, and carryover of contamination. The indicators selected in this study can be used in an identification system for the occurrence of emerging mycotoxin hazards in wheat supply chains. Such a system can be used by risk managers within governmental (related) organizations and/or the food and feed industry in order to react proactively to the occurrence of these emerging mycotoxins.     

国际贸易框架下食品安全相关法律问题研究

国际贸易和食品安全是相互影响和相互制约的关系,绿色壁垒形成的根本原因在于一些国家为了保护本国经济利益,限制外国产品进入本国市场,确保本国产品在国内市场的占有份额。它具有形式上的合法性、实施上的歧视性等特征。WTO对“绿色壁垒”问题进行了相关法律规制,但是也存在很多问题;针对绿色壁垒对我国食品进出口的影响,我国应当从善用WTO规则、完善国内法律法规、建立绿色壁垒信息中心以及大力发展绿色产品出口等方面予以积极应对。     

A Model for Setting Performance Objectives for Salmonella in the Broiler Supply Chain

A stochastic model for setting performance objectives for Salmonella in the broiler supply chain was developed. The goal of this study was to develop a model by which performance objectives for Salmonella prevalence at various points in the production chain can be determined, based on a preset final performance objective at the end of the processing line. The transmission of Salmonella through the broiler production chain was modeled. The prevalence at flock level was calculated from the measured prevalence at sample level. The transmission model is based on data on the occurrence of Salmonella collected in the Dutch broiler production chain during several years. The developed model can be used by policymakers and industry to determine economically and politically acceptable performance objectives for various points of the production chain and to draw conclusions about which interventions are most appropriate.     

论我国动物福利标签制度的构建

动物福利标签制度就是在动物源性产品包装上标识该产品的生产过程是否符合动物福利标准的一种产品标签制度,该制度旨在提倡人道主义生产,引导消费者重视动物福利。本文阐述了动物福利标签制度的内涵、意义,通过对西方动物福利标签制度的研究,以及对我国消费者进行问卷调查,具体回答了什么是动物福利标签制度,为什么要在我国建立动物福利标签制度等问题,最后提出在我国构建动物福利标签制度的基本原则和思路。     

网络证据保全有效性法律问题研究

网络证据保全是保证网络证据有效性的重要途径和方法，从网络证据保全的角度出发，研究网络证据应当如何进行有效提取、存储和固定，确保网络证据作为适格的证据。就网络证据保全的有效性而言，应当严格区分网络证据保全的技术方法和法律规范，积极应对网络证据保全面临的现实挑战和困难。网络证据保全的有效性主要体现在两个方面，其一，网络证据保全在技术上必须保证其准确性；其二，在保全程序上保证其有效性。只有通过完善网络证据保全的法律程序，制定网络证据保全的法律程序和规则，采用科学合理的证据保全方法，网络证据保全的有效性才能够得以保证，网络证据在诉讼中才能发挥其应有的价值。     

如何认识当前国内的粮食形势

论述了解决“三农”问题的措施及其他促进粮食生产的政策因素对我国粮食供给量的影响,分析了国内主要粮食品种小麦、玉米、稻谷等的供求状况与消费的结构性变化,提出我国应积极监测粮食市场行情,分析并预测市场供求关系,适时适当地进行产前调节等。     

浅议社会主义新农村建设之食品安全问题

食品安全问题不仅关系着广大群众的身体健康,还关系到我国新农村建设的成效。该文分析了我国农村食品安全管理的发展现状与存在的问题,提出了改进我国农村食品安全的一些措施。     

周代燕礼之饮食——《诗经》燕饮诗研究之三

通过解析《诗经》燕饮诗,再参考《礼记》等典籍,我们可以了解周代燕礼饮食的基本面貌饮食品类、饮食的制作、饮食的摆设规则、饮食礼仪及饮食的顺序.《诗经》燕饮诗是周代燕礼饮食文化的活化石,在展现周代燕礼饮食面貌方面,其价值远远超过了《仪礼·燕礼》《礼记·燕义》.因此,应该充分肯定《诗经》燕饮诗的文化价值.