2. Standard model and options

The "standard" risk analysis model, as set out in the working procedures of the "Codex alimentarius" (a joint organization of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the WHO (World Health Organization) that sets international food safety standards) , breaks down the process into three distinct components: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. In addition to this breakdown, it is based on a number of theoretical and operational options, both implicit and explicit, which are worth recalling briefly in order to appreciate their contingent nature.

The first option is case-by-case assessment. Thus, in the case of GMOs (genetically modified...