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The project will refine and validate a multi-criteria decision analysis framework for establishing food safety priorities on the basis of a number of public health and socio-economic factors. The project takes as a starting point the multi-factorial risk framework that has been developed by the project team and refines the economic impact, public risk perception and social sensitivity factors. These refinements will incorporate experience gained in presenting the framework to risk managers in Canada and the US and will ensure compatibility with the FDA iRisk tool for assessing public health impacts for food-hazard pairs. The modified framework will be tested and validated through a trial involving potential end users. A user guide will be developed to enable food safety managers in OMAF and MRA, CFIA and PHAC to employ the framework to compare food safety issues and to develop effective management strategies.
Expected Benefits <br/>
This project will foster the development of a more comprehensive and more specific risk management tool for food safety managers. This tool will start with a foundation of food safety risks, and include those components found to be most relevant and useful for making decisions. These decisions can include categories such as economic impact, consumer perceptions and social sensitivity, thus addressing gaps in the current framework.