농식품안전관리 시스템 평가 및 개선방안 연구

Abstract

농식품안전에 대한 소비자들의 관심은 지대하다. 소득수준 향상에 따른 식생활 변화, 기술발전으로 인한 새로운 농식품 출현, 수입농식품 증가 등 농식품안전을 둘러싼 주변환경은 크게 변화하고 있다. 미국, EU, 일본을 포함한 선진국에서는 농식품안전에 대한 소비자들의 관심증가로 기존의 농식품안전관리체계에 대한 검토가 이루어지고 있다. FAO/WHO 등 국제기구는 과학적이고 체계적인 농식품안전관리를 위해 가이드라인을 제시하고 있다. 선진국들은 이들 가이드라인에 의거하여 농식품안전관리의 일관성과 효율성 제고를 위해 안전관리체계를 개편하거나 재편하고 있는 추세이다. 국내 농식품안전관리는 다수의 부처에서 분산·수행되고 있어 효율적이지 못하다는 비판이 있다. 무엇보다 농식품의 위험평가와 위험관리가 여러 부처에 품목별로 수행됨으로서 일관관리가 어렵고 사전예방이 미흡하다는 지적이 끊임없이 제기되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 위험분석 측면에서 현행 우리나라의 농식품안전관리체계의 문제점을 진단하고 개선방안을 도출하고자 한다. 특히 국제적으로 우리나라의 농식품안전관리체계가 과학적·효율적임을 인정받고, 소비자들에게 신뢰를 확보할 수 있는 농식품안전관리체계를 제시하고자 한다.

Agri-food safety management system in Korea is inefficient and unsystematic since diverse ministries and institutions accomplish agri-food safety management based on by commodities and stages. Demand that the domestic agri-food safety management is to increase consistency and efficiency and to be reorganized in accordance with the international flow of changes is rising. An objective of this study is to evaluate problems that the domestic agri-food safety management holds and present a plan for improving agri-food safety management system. Risk analysis, composed of risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication, is crucial for an efficient agri-food safety management and for systematic response to unexpected food accidents, according to the scientific outcomes. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries(MIFAFF) and Korea Food and Drug Administration(KFDA) conduct a risk assessment as well as a risk management, resulting in a variety of problems including a lack of continuity and efficiency of work, redundant regulations, and so on. Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that an institution for risk assessment be separated from it for risk management, securing transparency and objectivity of analysis outcomes. Advanced countries, in addition, operate a dedicated organization for risk assessment and show a movement to integrate institutions for risk management with agriculture ministry as the center. Noticing the global trends about reorganization of agri-food safety management, reestablishment of agri-food safety management system in Korea should be progressed with basic four principles: i)from farm/ocean to table, ii) expansion of precautionary principles, iii) strengthening of functions of risk analysis, iv) division of risk assessment from risk management. Improvements of risk assessment are as follows: i) establishment of a dedicated organization for risk assessment in the national level, ii) a construction of risk assessment infrastructure for hazard substances, iii) an expansion set of residue standard, iv) recruitment of professionals. In addition, risk management should be developed in several sectors, including an unification of risk management institutions, increase of labor force, an introduction of advanced system, and so on. An effective and efficient risk communication needs a construction of trust among stake holders, an establishment of organization for risk communication, an introduction of automatic analysis system for information, activation of information disclosure, and strengthening of social net work service. Short-term reorganization for agri-food safety management system is that an independent institution under the Ministry of Health and Welfare accomplishes risk assessment, while an institution under the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries performs risk management. In the long-term it is desirable that a new independent agency is responsible of risk assessment, and risk management is unified to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It is expected that an establishment of a dedicated organization for risk assessment brings about transparency and objectivity of evaluation outcomes, eventually obtaining consumers' trust toward agri-food safety management.

Researchers: Jae-Hwan Han, Ji-Hyeon Choi and Kyei-Im Lee Research period: 2010.6. - 2010. 12. E-mail address: jhhan@krei.re.kr