Science Strategy 2017-2019 September 2017
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Science Strategy, 2017-2019 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 THE FSAI SCIENCE STRATEGY 2 SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE THE STRATEGIC GOALS 6 ANNEX 1: CORPORATE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT SPECIFY OR IMPLY THE USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN THE FSAI 8 ANNEX 2: STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND MODIFIED SWOT ANALYSIS 9 Published by: Food Safety Authority of Ireland Email: info@fsai.ie Website: www.fsai.ie FSAI 2017 facebook.com/fsai twitter.com/fsaiinfo
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is an independent State body with responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland. It operates in a dynamic environment where the innovation cycles of the food industry are getting quicker and today s consumers are more aware of the food that they eat and its safety, labelling and health impacts. Society has easy access to information and mis-information and social media accelerates opinion-based conversation. The FSAI needs to have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of these changes to enable it to detect both existing and emerging hazards in the food chain, establish their risks using a balance-of-evidence approach and communicate these risks clearly to consumers and the food industry. This Science Strategy is a supporting part of the FSAI s corporate strategy and its mission statement is: Further expand the FSAI s scientific capacity and capability to underpin the provision of safe and trustworthy food for everyone. It identifies four goals and eight objectives to achieve this mission: 1. Further develop the excellence of the FSAI in applied technical and scientific communication a. Continual development of scientific staff b. Improve scientific communication 2. Continuously improve the FSAI s ability to carry out risk assessment a. Adopt new risk assessment and risk-ranking tools b. Develop a horizon scanning capacity c. Expedite opinions from the Scientific Committee 3. Improve collection and use of data a. Improve collation and analysis of data b. Expand the evidence base 4. Strengthen collaborative partnerships to create opportunities for applied science a. Continue to identify and expand networking opportunities In addition, 45 specific activities under the eight objectives have been identified that, over the next three years, will strengthen the scientific basis of the FSAI and expand on its capacity and capability. An implementation plan will be developed to ensure that the activities are prioritised and achievable within the FSAI s resources. 1
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Science Strategy, 2017-2019 THE FSAI SCIENCE STRATEGY The FSAI and its Environment The FSAI is an independent State body with responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland. It operates within the remit of the Department of Health but implements food law drafted by both the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The FSAI operates in a dynamic environment where food production methods, processing techniques, packaging and the way in which food is presented have changed extensively over the years and continue to evolve. Innovation cycles of the food industry are getting quicker and today s consumers are more aware of the food that they eat, its safety, labelling and health impacts. The FSAI also operates in a society that demands transparency and accountability, where people have access to vast amounts of information and mis-information via the internet. Science is no longer the preserve of the scientist and social media amplifies opinion-led conversation. The FSAI needs to have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of these changes to enable it to detect both existing and emerging hazards in the food chain and establish their risks using a balance-of-evidence approach based on the best data available. The FSAI needs to communicate science clearly, concisely and in a timely manner that is consistent with modern information demands. Importantly, it also needs to ensure that legislative controls are riskbased, practical and effective, which will ultimately protect and improve the safety of Irish food. The FSAI Strategy and the Role of Science The vision of the FSAI corporate strategy (2016 to 2018) is safe and trustworthy food for everyone. The mission of the FSAI is to protect consumers by leading a collaborative food safety community to continuously raise food standards and create a culture of excellence. There are five corporate goals and these feature science both explicitly and implicitly in many of their objectives (see Annex 1 for details). To achieve these goals, the science strategy must deliver: The risk basis for enforcement A risk basis for performance measures of official controls Science and technical advice based on a comprehensive evidence base Evidence-based risk assessment Emerging risk identification Leveraged research partnerships to generate evidence Functional national and international scientific and technical networks Enhanced regulatory science capacity and capability Better evidence gathering and data mining 2
The FSAI corporate strategy also identifies a number of key enablers which will assist the FSAI in developing its scientific capacity and capability: Communication and engagement Leadership and governance Our people Partnerships Political support Resources Technology and data sharing The use of science in the FSAI will be consistent with its corporate values of teamwork, integrity, respect, innovation, collaboration and passion. The Science Strategy was developed following the process outlined in Annex 2. Science Strategy Mission The mission of the Science Strategy is to: Further expand the FSAI s scientific capacity and capability to underpin the provision of safe and trustworthy food for everyone. Scope of the Science Strategy The Science Strategy encompasses FSAI scientific work in the areas of communication, regulation, risk management and risk assessment. It includes a wide range of scientific disciplines such as microbiology, chemical safety, food science and technology, veterinary science, environmental health and public health nutrition. It also supports the FSAI s enforcement policy, audit and investigation functions. Science Strategy Focus The Science Strategy sets out how the FSAI will orientate and strengthen its scientific work in order to enable it to achieve its corporate goals and accomplish the corporate mission. It is designed to help the FSAI to respond more efficiently and effectively to issues and incidents which affect both consumers and the food industry. Science, as it applies to food safety, is the foundation on which the FSAI operates. The strategy establishes the goals and elaborates how these goals will be achieved. The effectiveness of communications and provision of applied technical and scientific advice relies on the knowledge and expertise of the FSAI staff, the Scientific Committee and a wide variety of other external sources. As such, it is important that FSAI staff remain fully knowledgeable and have the training and tools to develop and communicate scientific advice in a clear and efficient manner. To support the FSAI s advisory function, identification of gaps in the knowledge base and improvements in transparency and planning of FSAI work, will be necessary. 3
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Science Strategy, 2017-2019 There is a need for continuous development of the FSAI s ability to undertake risk assessments, be they planned risk assessments through the Scientific Committee, or the more common urgent risk assessments resulting from food incidents or the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). During the coming years (2017 to 2019), the FSAI s aim is to improve the availability of risk assessment tools and adopt a more consistent approach to risk assessment. This will facilitate the use of risk ranking to focus official controls and scientific advice, while also increasing the FSAI s ability to identify and respond to emerging risks. For science to underpin food safety, risk assessments and technical advice must be based on the best available scientific data that are reliable, reproducible and as comprehensive as possible. The FSAI must have access to the best available data in a form that is relevant and easily accessible. During 2016, a comprehensive Data Strategy was developed by the FSAI and is being implemented. This initiative has built on improvements achieved in recent years. This will allow the FSAI to interrogate its own data repository more efficiently while integrating additional data sources as required. These systems will allow the FSAI to more easily identify emerging trends and possible knowledge gaps. The FSAI should explore all opportunities to fund the generation of data to address identified knowledge gaps, where necessary. Crucial to the success of the Science Strategy is the strengthening of the FSAI s collaborative partnerships at all levels. The FSAI is just one component of a wide agri-food regulatory environment, both nationally and internationally. Although the FSAI is a small organisation with limited resources, it has a strong track record of active participation and interaction with all stakeholders and contributes to various representative bodies, working groups and fora. Strengthening and expanding its partnerships with other risk assessment bodies, academia and research organisations, will build the FSAI s expertise and enhance its ability to fulfil its corporate mission. The strategic goals, priorities and objectives to achieve the mission of the Science Strategy are outlined in Table 1 and specific activities under each objective are detailed thereafter. 4
Table 1. Strategic Goals, Priorities and Objectives of the FSAI Science Strategy, 2017-2019 Strategic Goals Priorities Objectives Science and Communication 1 Further develop the excellence of the FSAI in applied technical and scientific communication Risk Assessment i. Ensure that staff remain fully knowledgeable and have the tools to provide the relevant scientific advice. ii. Provide accurate, timely scientific advice in a clear manner appropriate to the audience. iii. Identify gaps where scientific advice is required. iv. Provide more information regarding ongoing and planned FSAI work. Continual development of scientific staff Improve scientific communication 2 Continuously improve the FSAI s ability to carry out risk assessments i. Provide access to relevant external risk assessment tools. Adopt new risk ii. Explore risk ranking as a way of prioritising the FSAI s work. iii. Improve the ability of the FSAI to identify and respond to emerging risks. iv. Increase the impact of the Scientific Committee. assessment and risk ranking tools Develop a horizon scanning capacity Expedite opinions from the Scientific Committee Data 3 Improve collection and use of data i. Provide access to data in a format that facilitates interrogation and analysis. ii. Improve the collection and use of data for official control purposes. iii. Review data to identify gaps in the evidence base. iv. Generate new data, where required to underpin risk assessment. v. Compete for and provide funding to acquire data where knowledge gaps are identified. Improve collation and analysis of data Expand the evidence base Collaboration and Opportunity 4 Strengthen collaborative partnerships to create opportunities for applied science i. Review and identify opportunities for collaboration. Continue to ii. Strengthen existing partnership networks with other risk assessment bodies, academia and research organisations. iii. Continue to strengthen the FSAI s participation and collaboration with international organisations. identify and expand networking opportunities 5
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Science Strategy, 2017-2019 SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE THE STRATEGIC GOALS GOAL 1: Further develop the excellence of the FSAI in applied technical and scientific communication Continual development of scientific staff Continue to support staff training and professional development, including communications, access to high quality information resources and use of FSAI data analysis tools and systems. Explore and expand staff fact-finding missions to specific food industries. Continue to recruit scientific capability and expertise in key fields. Broaden staff opportunities for secondments and short-term placements. Allocate specific think time for staff to keep abreast of developments in subject areas and to implement new skills and training. Broaden the delegation of duties and responsibilities. Improve scientific communication Explore the improvement of transparency surrounding the ongoing and planned work of the FSAI. Provide plain language scientific communication using the relevant platforms supported by the FSAI. Increase scientific dialogue with key internal and external stakeholders. Provide clear and consistent information in response to media queries and interviews. GOAL 2: Continuously improve the FSAI s ability to carry out risk assessments Adopt new risk assessment and risk ranking tools Identify where extra resources are required in order to carry out the FSAI s risk assessment function. Explore and evaluate the use of available risk assessment tools for the FSAI s work. Collaborate with national and international scientists on the use of risk assessment models and tools. Explore the use of templates, where appropriate, to harmonise approaches to risk assessment. Use/Develop risk-ranking tools to identify which long-term risk assessments are required. Use/Develop risk-ranking tools to focus inspection and sampling priorities for official control purposes. Develop a horizon scanning capacity Provide resources for horizon scanning. Develop expertise in emerging risk identification. Continue participation with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Emerging Risk Exchange Network. Develop a national consultation and dissemination process for emerging risk. Explore data analytics as a means of identifying emerging risk. Expedite opinions from the Scientific Committee Ensure the best available scientists are invited to join the Scientific Committee structure. Agree a multi-annual work plan with periodic review. Ensure that the Scientific Committee structure has the appropriate level of support to complete its work efficiently. Examine the need for external supports to expedite opinions. 6
GOAL 3: Improve collection and use of data Improve collation and analysis of data Implement the FSAI data strategy. Document requirements for data availability for risk assessment and analysis. Review data to identify gaps in official control work and input to official agency work planning as necessary. Explore requirements for statistical analysis of data. Apply new analytical approaches to data, where appropriate. Expand the evidence base Examine the usefulness of data from non-food areas to inform risk assessment. Identify laboratories suitable to support proactive project-based research and urgent incident response. Explore access to data from industry and other relevant sources. Explore opportunities for the FSAI to fund specific data generation. Explore opportunities for the FSAI to obtain funding for research linked to expansion of the evidence base. Increase the FSAI s influence in national and international food safety and nutrition research GOAL 4: Strengthen collaborative partnerships to create opportunities for applied science Continue to identify and expand our networking opportunities Increase use of memoranda of understanding or other relevant mechanisms to facilitate collaboration, where appropriate. Continue to develop the FSAI s relationship with safefood, Government departments and agencies, to influence its research remit to the mutual benefit of all organisations. Proactively identify opportunities and actively participate in relevant national and international scientific and technical conferences, networks and working groups. Establish collaborative relationships with higher education institutions, research organisations and other risk assessment bodies. Establish more formal intern programmes with EFSA and higher education institutions. Take a proactive role in influencing the national research agenda and funding calls. Take a proactive role in promoting regulatory science to students. Use the Scientific Committee structure and FSAI fora to identify opportunities for collaborative partnerships. Increase scientific collaboration with EFSA, the EC Research and Innovation division and other EU Member State risk assessment bodies. Continue to collaborate and participate with international organisations including the WHO, FAO and Codex Alimentarius Commission. Acknowledgements The excellent and insightful work of the drafting group who developed the draft strategy is acknowledged. Thanks are also extended to those who took part in the workshop and to those who took the time to submit detailed comments during the two consultation periods. 7
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Science Strategy, 2017-2019 ANNEX 1: CORPORATE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT SPECIFY OR IMPLY THE USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN THE FSAI STRATEGIC GOAL 1: Lead a regulatory culture where everyone is passionate about achieving the highest standards for food Provide a framework for regulating food that is strategically planned and reviewed to encompass food safety and integrity, with enforcement that is proportionate, risk-based and effective Strive for a world class official control system that includes effective risk-based measures of performance, is verified through audits and delivers the best outcomes for consumers STRATEGIC GOAL 2: Use the best scientific knowledge, evidence and expertise to underpin risk analysis in respect of food safety Underpin all decisions and advice with the best independent scientific knowledge, evidence and expertise Provide high quality, independent, scientific advice to Government to inform and influence food policy within the areas of food safety, integrity and nutrition Provide timely, transparent, evidence-based risk assessments using the best available data and methods Lead in identifying and analysing current and emerging threats to food safety and where appropriate, to integrity and nutrition, including leveraging our partnerships in research, regulation and industry Strengthen and develop our engagement with national, European and international food safety, integrity and nutrition partners as appropriate, to ensure the delivery of robust advice and to underpin decision-making STRATEGIC GOAL 3: Create an environment where Ireland is a trusted and recognised leader in food safety and Integrity Build capacity and capability to allow Ireland to react and deal effectively with any national or international food incident or crisis Communicate openly, effectively and promptly on our work to foster trust and be an advocate for food safety, and where appropriate, integrity and nutrition STRATEGIC GOAL 4: Develop our organisation with an ethos that is true to our values Empower and inspire our team to deliver our work effectively and recognise achievements Commitment to better communication, continual improvement, competency development and creating innovative opportunities STRATEGIC GOAL 5: Adopt a digital-first approach to maximise accessibility, efficiency and effectiveness Enhance how we gather and use data to better understand the environment in which we operate and inform decision making Explore Big Data to help us do our job better 8
ANNEX 2: STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND MODIFIED SWOT ANALYSIS The development of the FSAI Science Strategy started with a workshop attended by staff representing all the functional areas of the FSAI. This facilitated workshop resulted in a modified SWOT analysis to look at our strengths and achievements, the expectations of us from stakeholders, the realities we faced and the possibilities for improvement. This formed the basis of further strategy discussions. A small drafting group developed the strategy using this information and modified it further following two rounds of consultation. The first round involved FSAI Chief Specialists, the Directors and the CEO. The second round involved all FSAI staff and the Scientific Committee. The final version was modified by the Director of Food Science and Standards and the drafting group, based on the consultation outcomes.
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