Coordination of risk assessments and risk communication strategies
requires information sharing and establishing networks of working
relationships between groups and agencies. Establishing these
relationships necessitates overcoming - stitutional, cultural, and
political boundaries. Signi?cant barriers exist between r- ulatory
agencies and industry groups. Traditionally, these groups have
mistrusted one another, and cooperation and collaboration, including
sharing information, c- respondingly has been limited. The adoption of
radio frequency identi?cation te- nology for tracking livestock, for
example, has been met with signi?cant resistance due in part to mistrust
between regulatory agencies and producers (Veil, 2006). In the food
industry, the need for coordination has been enhanced by industry in-
gration and globalization of both markets and production. In the case of
GM foods discussed earlier, disagreements between U. S., European Union,
and Canadian r- ulatory agencies fueled the debate over the safety of GM
crops. Overcoming institutional and cultural barriers, and mistrust is
necessary to create consistency in risk messages. Open communication and
information sharing can help clarify where risk perceptions diverge and
identify points of convergence. The outcome may not be universal
agreement about risks, but convergence around the general parameters of
risk. Summary These best practice strategies of risk communication are
not designed to function as distinct steps or isolated approaches.
Rather than being mutually exclusive, they serve to complement one
another and create a coherent approach to confronting risk communication
problems.
