Risk assessment in the international food safety policy arena. Can the multilateral institutions encourage unbiased outcomes?

• Published in: Food policy 2010-12, Vol.35 (6), p.538-547
• Main Authors: Jackson, Lee Ann, Jansen, Marion
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bias; Codex Alimentarius Commission; Food policy; Food safety; Food safety standards; Food safety standards Risk assessment Policy capture Codex Alimentarius Commission WTO; Institutions; International organizations; International standards; Multilateralism; Policy capture; Policy making; Risk; Risk assessment; Safety standards; Scientific method; Standardization; World Trade Organization; WTO
• ISSN: 0306-9192; 1873-5657
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.07.004

Two institutions provide multilateral venues for countries to discuss food safety measures at the international level: the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and the World Trade Organization. Both institutions encourage their Members to base food safety standards on scientific evidence. In this paper we provide a description of how food-safety-related scientific evidence is generated and how it is used in the context of risk assessment for international standard-setting at Codex and in WTO trade disputes. In particular, we discuss the processes leading to policy conclusions on the basis of scientific evidence, with a focus on the interactions involved between private and public sector actors and those between “scientific experts” and others. We identify weaknesses in the current institutional set-up and provide suggestions on how to improve the interaction between different players at the national and international level so as to strengthen the existing system and increase its cost efficiency.