Food safety issues: From Enlightened Elitism towards Deliberative Democracy? An overview of EFSA鈥檚 鈥淧ublic Consultation鈥?instrument

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• 作者：Corrado Finardi^a ; ^{corrado.finardi@hotmail.it} ; Giuseppe Pellegrini^b ; ¹ ; Gene Rowe^c ; ^{generowe00@gmail.com}
• 关键词：EFSA ; Open consultations ; Stakeholders&rsquo ; involvement
• 刊名：Food Policy
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：16_03069192
• 类别：eco
• 出版时间：August, 2012
• 卷：37
• 期：4
• 页码：427-438
• 文件大小：380 K

摘要

Following the BSE crisis, the importance of reassuring European consumers and involving them in debate about food safety management issues is generally recognised. Indeed, consulting stakeholders is one of the European Food Safety Authority鈥檚 (EFSA) main duties, as stated in its founding regulation (art. 42, whereas 56), where EFSA must have 鈥渆ffective contacts with consumer representatives, producer representatives, processors and any other interested parties鈥? Even if not clearly obliged to, EFSA has also opted to consider lay citizens鈥?opinion (under an interpretation of art. 42, wh. 40 of the 178 Reg.) in order to enhance 鈥渢rust鈥?in food safety. Beyond having formally established meetings with restricted access for participants - like the Stakeholders鈥?Consultative Platform and the Annual Colloquium, - EFSA engages in its 鈥淧ublic Consultation鈥?web-based Window (PCW). It allows listening to anybody who wishes to submit comments on technical issues.

An intriguing question is whether this constitutes a step towards 鈥渄irect democracy鈥?on food safety issues; under which assumptions EFSA adopted this tool; and under which (internal and external) pressures it updated its functioning in 2008.

Using evaluation criteria from the academic literature, we assess the qualities of this mechanism. We conclude that the mechanism does have some merits, even though - as stated by 鈥溾€?creating practical participatory mechanisms for the public is increasingly difficult in a decision-making environment heavily dominated by technical expertise鈥?