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The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection Holds First Meeting with Members of Approved Scientific Expert Groups on Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is an important tool for competent authorities worldwide in the fields of veterinary medicine and public health to support risk management processes. With the increasing range of hazards to animal and consumer health and the diminishing resources available to address them, risk assessment plays a crucial role in determining how existing resources can be used most effectively and in preventing the emergence of risks.

Recognizing the importance of integrating risk-based concepts into risk management procedures, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (hereafter – SSUFSCP) is developing a structural Unit for Risk Assessment (hereafter – RAU). Its primary role is to coordinate risk assessments in veterinary medicine and the fields of food and feed safety, providing management with objective, scientifically sound background for implementing appropriate measures and decisions to address identified risks.

To ensure independence, objectivity, and transparency in conducting risk assessments, the RAU relies on effective collaboration with independent scientific experts. Following the established procedure, experts were selected, and by Order No. 609 of the SSUFSCP dated August 30, 2024, “On Approval of the Regulation and Composition of Scientific Expert Groups on Risk Assessment“, scientific expert groups on risk assessment (hereafter – SEGRAs) were approved in six areas:

  1. Animal health and welfare (including zoonoses)
  2. Biological hazards
  3. Contaminants in the food chain
  4. Nutrition, novel foods, and food allergens
  5. Feed and feed additives for animals
  6. Genetically modified organisms (GMO)

On December 3, 2024, the RAU, with the support of the  Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (hereafter – QFTP), held its first online meeting with members of the approved SEGRAs. The meeting was attended by 45 scientists.

In his opening remarks, Oleh Osiian, First Deputy Head of the SSUFSCP, stated:
“This year, the SSUFSCP officially approved the composition of SEGRAs, which will be involved in future assessments in the fields of animal health, food, and feed safety. We understand that only independent, scientifically based expert opinions can identify critical issues and formulate relevant and effective recommendations for managing identified risks.”

Manon Schuppers, Director of SAFOSO AG and International Expert for QFTP, noted in her welcoming remarks to the meeting participants:

“Risk assessment is a science-based process that is entirely distinct from risk management, which is carried out by the management of the competent authority (risk managers). To ensure the independence of the risk assessment process from the decision-making process conducted by risk managers, independent scientific experts are involved in risk assessments. This approach ensures that risk assessments are conducted in accordance with established methodologies and are based on evidence, data, and objective opinions. The approach Ukraine has chosen for establishing scientific expert groups is effectively implemented in EU countries and globally. Therefore, the collaboration between the SSUFSCP’s RAU and the selected scientists will undoubtedly provide risk managers with an objective background for making unbiased decisions.”

During the meeting, Maria Barbara, a Chief Specialist of the RAU, informed the scientists about the necessity and current status of implementing science-based risk assessment activities within the SSUFSCP. She also explained the role, functions, rights, and responsibilities of the SEGRAs, as well as the organization of their work and the planned communication pathways to ensure effective collaboration.

Viktoria Lets, Senior National Expert of the Dairy Sector Component, QFTP, presented the Standard Operating Procedure (hereafter – SOP) for risk assessment developed with the support of QFTP experts. This SOP, designed for the SSUFSCP, outlines a general approach to conducting risk assessments in veterinary medicine and the areas of food and feed safety. Its goal is to establish a structured and systematic method for organizing and conducting science-based risk assessments in compliance with national and international legislation.

Additionally, the approach to training and preparing SRAEG experts for their first risk assessments was highlighted. This includes the use of training materials from the online course “Concept of Risk Analysis and Risk Assessment in Food Safety and Animal Health,” developed as part of QFTP activities.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants emphasized the high relevance of risk assessment activities within the SSUFSCP and expressed their readiness for continued collaboration. QFTP experts reaffirmed their commitment to providing technical assistance to further develop risk assessment activities in Ukraine.

Background Information:

In recent years, with comprehensive technical support from QFTP and EU4SaferFood experts, the SSUFSCP has made significant progress in developing its Risk Assessment Unit. These achievements were recognized by European Commission representatives in the 2024 EU Enlargement Package Report, which evaluates progress made by candidate and potential candidate countries, including Ukraine, over the past year. Since June 23, 2022, when Ukraine was granted EU candidate status, the development of the RAU has become a priority for the SSUFSCP.

Through QFTP’s facilitation, a series of informational materials on risk assessment have been developed and are available via the links below:

For further inquiries, please contact the RAU via email at m.barbara@dpss.gov.ua.