The objective of the seminar/webinar is to share the experiences made during a series of risk analysis training carried out in Mali by FAO. Together with the Malian Food Safety Authority, a step-by-step and very practical approach to the introduction and use of risk analysis principles into the everyday practice of competent authorities, as well as other associated stakeholders (e.g. scientists and researchers, producers and consumers associations) was developed. The starting point was a joint review of the major concerns in food safety followed by their prioritization, despite the scarcity of available data. Once the preliminary priorities had been identified, the national teams were trained to apply more sophisticated steps of risk analysis (such as risk assessment), and were encouraged to gather and assess available data, and identify data gaps to be bridged in future. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. PRACTICALAPPROACHTO
FOODSAFETYRISKANALYSIS
TRAINING
A FOOD SAFETYTECHNICAL NETWORK (FSTN)
WEBINAR/SEMINAR – 23 JANUARY 2017

2. FSTN Webinar series
Example and lessons learnt from a TCP in Mali
Practical approach to food safety
risk analysis training

3. Background and initial reflexions
Mali:
- invested a lot in a more active participation in Codex
work;
- good awareness of importance of risk analysis
But difficulties in:
- Integrating it as part of the food control activities; “theory”
versus “practice”
- Getting the necessary data to develop any component of the
risk analysis framework

4. Initially agreed principles for
developing the training approach
- Practical training sessions – acknowledgment that
- This takes time – repeat until a habit
- Need to build exercises (much longer that to develop presentations)
- 2/3 of time dedicated to exercises- usually 4.5 days sessions
- Working as much as possible with real country data:
- More interest for participants
- Results from exercises of direct use to target food control activities
- National food safety authority commits to research specific areas as part of their food
control activities to provide the data to work on
- Build continuity:
- set up of a team, that would commit to follow entire course of project and
- form the platform for future risk analysis activities
- Continuity between training sessions ( slight overlap + exploring further in detail
issues as they appear)
- Start practicing between courses with specific research/preparation/follow up

5. Training sequence: Basis: risk management framework
Risk Management
Framework
1. Preliminary risk management
activities
4. Monitoring and
review
2. Options
identification,
evaluation &
selection
3. Implementation
- Identification of FS priority
issues
- Risk profiles
- Comm. Risk assessment?
- Dialogue with
Risk assessors
- Compare/select
risk management
options

6. 1st Training
Aim of training session:
- what is risk analysis in practice, in the “real world”?
- what are your food safety issues?
- how do you set up priorities?
- Supporting tools (risk profiles)?
Exercises on
- risk ranking;
- building tables and templates for subsequent data collection
(consumption data; contamination data; public health data)
Outputs: 2 food safety issues identified for further work
-salmonella in chicken and
- mycotoxins in cereals.
Outstanding questions: what data is needed? How to collect it?

7. 2nd Training (1/2)
Aim of training session:
- chemical risk assessment in practice, working on the issue of
aflatoxin contamination in cereals and other staple foods.
Preparation prior to course:
- Collection of information on contamination levels by different
compounds (pesticide residues; heavy metals;
mycotoxins).
Exercises on:
- screening techniques among chemical risks;
- quantitative risk assessment related to aflatoxin B1

8. 2nd Training (2/2)
Outputs:
- priorities among chemical food safety risk established
based on a screening approach ;
- risk related to aflatoxin B1 in a number of contributing
commodities assessed
Outstanding questions:
- New notions requiring to “play” with big excel files;
requires some familiarity with the software; integrate
calculation mechanisms as “automatisms”
- Locate sources of reliable data ( toxicological,
contamination…)

9. 3nd Training (1/2)
Aim of training session:
- explore the issue of Salmonella in chicken- can we do
a risk assessment?
Preparation prior to course:
- data collection using the exercises of course 1
Exercises on:
- building a risk profile, using a range of literature
provided;
- perform a qualitative risk assessment about
salmonella in chicken, based on the data collected

10. 3nd Training (2/2)
Outputs:
- Qualitative RA for Salmonella in chicken;
- Risk profile for Salmonella in chicken (to be
complemented and further expanded)
Outstanding questions:
- Beyond data access, data quality? and what it can be used
for ( e.g. depending on sampling strategies)
- Increase specificity of data collected routinely (as the
purpose is now better identified)
- Interdependency between food monitoring and public
health/surveillance data ( extreme weakness of FBD
surveillance system) for risk assessment

11. 4th Training (1/2)
Aim of training session:
- defining maximum limits (ML) or MRL and
- measuring their impact
Preparation prior to course: meet regularly as a group
to:
- complete screening exercises on all compounds,
- complete qualitative risk assessment exercise for
AFB1 for all regions of Mali;
- search for specific information on
JECFA/FAO/WHO websites for proposed
substances

12. 4th Training (2/2)
Exercises:
- set up ALARA and public health ML for AFB1 in rice;
- MRL for a vet drug for cattle
- MRL for an insecticide on sorghum
Outcome:
- practical understanding of the interrelationships between
risk assessment calculations and set up of ML;
- details of calculations using distributions of consumption
Outstanding issue:
- Excel…
- integrating these complex calculation dynamics into the “daily”
practice

13. 5th Training ( 1/2)
Aim of training session:
- Monitoring programmes: conceptual basis and use
(including on sampling approaches).
- Particular example of Total Diet Studies.
Preparation prior to course:
- revise and practice notions in relation to setting up ML/MRL
(regular group meetings for exercises).

14. 5th Training ( 2/2)
Exercises on:
- Use of the TDS results (fictional) to identify issues;
- perform a Quantitative RA on 2 FS issues (heavy metals
and DON);
- Identification of an array of risk management approaches
(including monitoring programmes) and discussion of
communication needs
Outcome:
- wider awareness (more stakeholders)/more specific of the
upcoming results of regional TDS
- better use of these to target risk management activities
Outstanding issue:
- Establishment of microbiological criteria using the CCFH
metrics…

15. 6th Training (1/2)
Aim of training session: Experience and practice risk
communication principles
Exercises on:
- assess impact factors on the risk communication
messages;
- Define messages according to targets;
- Build a communication plan,
- Practice a specific tool: press release

16. 6th Training (2/2)
Outputs:
• construction of a step by step approach in 2 different
situations:
- a “crisis” ( microbiological issue)
- and a long term, silent issue (selected chemical issues);
• connection to risk management approaches ( i.e. non
regulatory approaches).
Outstanding issue: need to further strengthen other
stakeholders ( consumer’s associations; private sector…)

17. 7th Training (1/2)
Aim of training session: use a multifactor approach to
support risk management
Preparation prior to course:
- build a risk profile for gossypol in cotton oil;
- prepare fact sheets based on FERG/Uganda study for 3
issues ( brucellosis in milk; acute diarrhea in children<5
years and AF in maize)

18. 7th Training (2/2)
Exercises on: applying the method to risk prioritization and
comparing different risk management approaches
Outcome: closing the loop – link back to training n. 1
- wider understanding of factors that can be included in the
analysis from risk ranking to risk prioritization
- Practical use of risk profiles as a risk management tool,
source of information; sources of reliable information.

19. Lessons learnt
- In time with our own publication/production (e.g. use of
multifactor analysis; risk ranking; risk communication) –
thanks to all colleagues involved!
- Identified need for development of more specific training
supporting material (ex. workbook on setting up limits;
further work on sampling issues…
- Important to invest in building exercises, scenarios and
examples in local context; test the exercises first!
- Repetitions critical to allow further question to come up; allow
habits to grow…
- Due to political circumstances Government could proceed with
specific data collection campaigns as initially planned –
would have been a learning experience too (planning and
logistics; data collection challenges and quality
assurance…)

20. One major outcome of the project:
Experiencing multidispicplinarity

21. An unintended, unexpected outcome
connected to our project…

22. THANKYOUFORWATCHING
SEND COMMENTS/QUESTIONS TO FSTN@FAO.ORG
A FOOD SAFETYTECHNICAL NETWORK (FSTN)
WEBINAR/SEMINAR – 23 JANUARY 2017