食品安全治理中科學基礎與民主參與的平衡

The Balance of Science-based andDemocratic Participationin Food Safety Governance

科學證據在現代化治理中，特別是涉及科技和產業風險上扮演日益重要的角色。於跨國活動規制上，無論於我國或世界貿易組織規範、國際食品安全法典委員會，均強調國家應依據科學原則作為管制的基礎。然而仰賴科學及專家治理，卻由於科學證據的不確定性及專家主觀價值的影響，而使其客觀及中立遭受質疑，亦有透明性之質疑。本文首先探討科學主義之核心理念的發展背景、意涵及必要，以釐清其作為管制食品安全治理基礎的正當性；之後分析科學主義在食品安全治理之侷限及問題；接著討論食品民主的意涵；本文最後論述將民主參與原則納入食品安全科學治理的架構，藉由落實資訊透明及公開的溝通和諮商程序，方能平衡科學治理的不足，並填補民主赤字之問題，以建立公眾信任。

Scientific evidence plays an increasingly significant role inmodern governance especially involving risks brought by technologyand industry developments. In regulating international trade andtransnational activities relating to food risks, a variety of institutions,including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Biosafety Protocoland the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), all require nations’regulations to follow scientific principles. The recent revised Taiwan’s‘Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation’ has incorporated the trendinto the law.The objectivity and neutrality of the expertise and scientific-basedgovernance are skeptical, and these has put the regular uncertainty ofscientific findings and inherent value judgement of scientists into question. The usual exclusiveness of expert governance and insufficienttransparency in the process has labeled the activities as democraticdeficit. This paper explores the mandate of how to balance theexpertise-based scientific assessment with the demand of publicparticipation.This paper will begin with the discussion of the background andimplications of honoring science-based governance with a view toclarifying the justification of applying the principle. Then, the limitationand problems of the principle would be disclosed. Finally, the paperanalyzes the necessity of incorporating democratic elements into foodsafety management as a balancing act that requires the enhancement oftransparency and public participation.