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As reviewed in detail in a paper written for the present work package 1, the governance of food safety presents a formidable series of challenges 2. Here, as in other ‘technological risk’issues, the governance process includes, but extends beyond, the three conventionally recognised elements of risk analysis (risk assessment, risk management and risk communication) 3. It includes matters of institutional design, technical methodology, administrative consultation, legislative procedure and political accountability on the part of public bodies and social or corporate responsibility on the part of private enterprises. But it also includes more general provision on the part of government, commercial and civil society actors for building and using scientific knowledge, for fostering innovation and technical competences, for developing and refining competitive strategies and for promoting social and organisational learning.

The European Commission has identified five normative principles that are directly applicable to the good governance of food safety in this broad sense: openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence 4. The principle of openness entails according to the Commission clear, accessible communication of the nature and rationale for decisions and other governance outcomes. Participation requires governance institutions actively to engage with other social groups, from the conception of strategic options right through to the implementation of decisions. Accountability involves clarity over the nature of the reasoning and the allocation of responsibility in legislative and executive processes. Effectiveness relates to timeliness …