Acrylamide – A case study on risk analysis

The concept of risk analysis, as defined by WHO, foresees strict functional separation between risk assessment and risk management. However, at the same time, it also expects close cooperation between risk assessors and risk managers. This is not always the case, as exemplified by acrylamide, a heat-induced toxicant in foods. The proposed SAFE FOOD Risk Analysis Framework puts forward the need for institutionalizing the cooperation between assessors and managers by introducing two steps, framing and evaluation. The paper argues that if these steps had been introduced in 2002 it would have led to a more efficient risk management of acrylamide.