臺灣食品安全事件的省思：從危機處理提升至風險管理

Reflection on Food Safety Incidents in Taiwan: From Crisis Response to Risk Management

食品安全向來是全球關心的議題，不僅關係到人民的身體健康，更影響著國家經濟與社會安定之發展。而臺灣由於近年來所發生的幾起重大食品安全事件（例如：三聚氰胺、塑化劑，以及油品摻假等），不僅促使衛生主管機關進行組織改造，也使社會大眾對於食品安全的關注推向了一個高峰。1980年代末期食品安全領域引入了風險分析方法，透過聯合國糧農組織（FAO）、世界衛生組織（WHO）、國際食品法典委員會（CAC）的推動，逐漸建立食品安全風險分析的原則和標準體系，其中包括以科學為根據的「風險評估」、以價值為本並具策略性的「風險管理」，以及以風險訊息交流為目的之「風險溝通」等三大要素，藉以進行全面性的食品安全監控，並由政府、業界和消費者三方共同努力而達成。因此，風險分析技術目前已成為先進國家評價食品供應鏈中危害因素與人體健康風險相關性的首選方法，而臺灣在2013年亦修訂相關衛生法令，提供政府採行食品安全風險管理措施之法源依據，期待此措施之開展可確保於食品供應鏈末端之消費者，免於遭受生物性、化學性或物理性之危害，避免政府落入危機處 理的困境，同時防止社會大眾陷入不必要之恐慌。

Food safety is a global issue concerning the public health, the national economy, and social security. In Taiwan, several food scandals, such as melamine milk from China, Plastic unfantastic and adulterated cooking oil, have not only forced the government to reorganize the Department of Health but also made the public pay close attention to food safety in recent years. Risk analysis is a structured approach to assessing food safety risks, and its principles have been developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) since the 1980s. The risk analysis framework consists of three interactive processes, including risk assessment, risk management and risk communication, which are based on science, making decisions and including interested parties, respectively. To protect the health and safety of domestic consumers, developed countries have performed risk analysis in their food control systems. Therefore, the government of Taiwan decided to start food safety risk analysis and amended the Act Governing Food Sanitation in 2013. Hopefully, consumers in Taiwan can expect protection from hazards occurring along the entire food chain by programs of risk management and not have to panic over food crises in the future.