FSOLab 4: Implementing novel and innovative communication methods informing civil society about food safety research and the risk assessment process

Happy 2022! FoodSafety4EU is now into its 2^nd year as a project and so are the Food Safety Operational Labs (FSOs). In FSO Lab4, we can look back at the first year initiating the planning phase and organising two participatory workshops (1^st workshop from 14-15 September 2021 and 2^nd workshop from 8-9 November 2021) involving more than 20 lab participants from 11 countries representing food safety authorities, industry/companies, research, civil society, and communication services.

The goal of FSOLab 4 is to engage actors from the food safety system in developing, implementing and evaluating innovative and novel communication methods informing civil society about food safety research and the risk assessment process.

In the 1^st workshop, lab participants came to an agreement on 1 pilot communication idea: Science-based reliable information on food safety and risk assessment should be provided by funny characters/avatars who represent

• An average young adult protagonist who makes food safety mistakes
• Funny food safety authorities/professors who provide reliable information and links to trusted sources
• Other characters depending on the messages to be conveyed: media, society/consumer, medical staff, etc.

Based on the pilot idea, in the period between the workshops, lab participants prepared in 3 sub-groups – 1) Food Safety Authorities (FSA); 2) Industry; and 3) Consumers – detailed pilot actions which they presented at the 2^nd workshop in November 2021. Here the lab participants decided to move on with and to test in practice over the course of 2022 the following 2 pilot communication actions:

• Raising awareness about food safety and food safety system actors among consumers and civil society in Tunisia – represented by pilot host INSSPA (The National Food Safety Authority of Tunisia).

Safe Food in a Circular World – represented by pilot hosts FFDI and VSHCT (Czech Republic).