Methods for public engagement in European Food Safety System (FSS)

This deliverable presents a methodology for public engagement in the European Food Safety System (FSS) to address the lack of public awareness, limited engagement, and inadequate cross-sectoral cooperation, which pose significant risks to food safety in Europe.The methodology presented builds upon existing literature and public engagement approaches, offering insights into barriers hindering public engagement and potential solutions to overcome them. By incorporating these insights, individual food actors can enhance their strategies and contribute to a more reliable food safety system.The methodology developed in this document takes inspiration from the PE2020 project and incorporates three essential elements of public engagement: public communication, public consultation, and public deliberation. Two workshop formats, namely the public workshop format and the co-creation workshop format, are selected to implement this methodology.The co-creation workshop format promotes co-learning and co-deliberation among diverse stakeholders, facilitating the development of effective communication materials and strategies. It emphasizes diverse participation, idea generation, engaged participation, tangible outputs, collaboration, and consensus-building. The co-creation workshop format enables stakeholders to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and collectively develop communication materials, fostering an inclusive and dynamic environment.Meanwhile, the public event format serves as a tool to survey and understand societal concerns regarding food safety. It encourages inclusive participation, engagement of the public, a broad societal perspective, utilization of interactive tools, and informative and actionable outcomes. Public events provide an opportunity to capture comprehensive societal perspectives and inform recommendations and future research initiatives.The methodology also includes five additional public engagement tools developed by FoodSafety4EU, including a Communication Kit, TikTok videos, comics, educational materials, and the FSOLab Methodology Guidebook. These tools offer innovative ways to engage the public and can be easily adopted and reused in various contexts.Recommendations derived from the workshops emphasize:1. The need for innovative engagement methods to enhance food safety awareness, particularly in areas with limited literacy levels.2. The importance of fostering cross-collaboration during outbreaks to promote effective communication and coordination.Implementing this methodology and leveraging the recommended tools, may help food actors in the European Food Safety System to effectively enhance public engagement, build trust, for creating a more effective and reliable food safety system.