Report on Science-Policy-Society (SPS) collaboration systems analysis – input for FSOLab1
Creators: name: De Saeger, Sarah
name: Celine Meerpoel
name: Luning, Pieternel
name: Van Der Linden, Niels
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Food safety
FSOLab
Sience-Policy-Society (SPS)

description: Deliverable report 3.2 describes the findings on the analysis of the Science-Policy-Society (SPS) collaboration system on specific casesthrough a Net-Map analysis. Net-Map is an interview-based mapping tool to visualize implicit knowledge and understand the interplay of complex formal and informal networks, power relations, and actors/stakeholders’ goals; uncover sources of conflicts as well as potentials for cooperation; facilitate knowledge exchange and learning processes; and develop visions and strategies to achieve common goals. The development of the Net-Map analysis tool is described. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the interviewbased mapping tool was adapted to fit in an online setting. Online meeting applications such as Microsoft Teams® and MIRO® were implemented to map the stakeholders and their relations in the society-policyscience (SPS) collaboration system in risk analysis of emerging food safety issues and to identify constraints in relations, resources, and capabilities. Food safety scenarios based on gobal challenges were selected based on the in-depth expert interviews (Deliverable 3.1). These were food safety concerns regarding emerging mycotoxins and recycled food contact materials (FCM). Several steps in mycotoxin risk analysis are incomplete due to e.g. lack of occurrence or toxicokinetic/toxicity data, lack of analytical techniques and lack of scientific knowledge. Therefore, this case of emerging mycotoxins was used to perform a Net-Map analysis to identify stakeholders involved in this risk analysis and how they interact. For the FCMs, the focus was put on packaging consisting of recycled paper or cardboard, as they have become increasingly important in the light of sustainability and circular economy. However, food safety challenges are related to these materials, making it a good model case to apply the Net-Map tool on. A Net-Map guidance protocol, including a standardized data reporting format, was distributed among the food safety hub (HUB) leaders. Pilot workshops with FS4EU consortium partners were held, enabling further refinement of the protocol. The final protocol has been made publicly available through the FS4EU website and can be applied in many other contexts. Next, four Net-Map workshops were carried out in the respective home countries of the HUB leaders. In Belgium (West HUB) and Finland (North HUB) the case of FCMs was implemented, while participants of Italy (South HUB) and the Czech Republic (East HUB) worked on the emerging mycotoxins case. First, stakeholders and their main goals in mycotoxin/FCM risk analysis were identified. The next step was to characterise how the stakeholders were linked in the system, followed by an assessment on how influential the stakeholders were. Finally a discussion took place on constraints compromising the risk analysis. The workshops resulted in complex Net-Maps, visualizing how the SPS collaboration system regarding risk analysis of the aforementioned food safety issues is set up in each country. The most prominent stakeholders who take up a central role in the risk analysis process were identified. Many linkages between stakeholders were revealed, going from information sharing (legally required or voluntary), data requesting or communicating to the public. Moreover, in every country, constraints related to these linkages could be identified. These constraints, such as lack of resources or communication issues can be used to define needs for improvements in the current SPS collaboration system. While the initial results are already very interesting to discuss, further validation and verification of the obtained conclusions is needed.