Evaluation of electronic information sources to identify food safety issues for risk management and communication: the creation and assessment of the food safety network (FSnet)

摘要

A prototype electronic bulletin board for food safety risk managers, the Food Safety Network (FSne), was established in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and evaluated over a three-month period to determine if electronic information services could enhance the capability of the 10 study participants to respond to food-safety issues in a timely manner, thereby augmenting existing risk assessment, management, and communication activities. Information in the form of news stories or summaries from around the world was uploaded to the FSnet bulletin board on a daily basis. A total of 447 individual stories were uploaded to FSnet, of which 60 percent were deemed of interest by study participants; of those stories deemed interesting, 91 per cent were first discovered through FSnet. Qualitatively, through personal interviews using a. standardized set of questions, nine of the 10 study participants reported that FSnet added to their level of competence at work, if not directly then indirectly. The results suggest that FSnet was meeting its intended goal as an electronic communications tool to assist in risk analysis activities, to rapidly identify issues for risk management and communication activities, to enhance awareness of public concerns in scientific and regulatory circles, and to exchange timely and current information for direction of research and for diagnostic or investigative activities.