In our daily lives, we encounter various risks, particularly concerning the food we consume and the environment we inhabit. Scientific risk assessment plays a crucial role in ensuring our choices are safe. The Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR” is Latvia’s leading scientific institution performing independent risk assessments in food safety, animal health, and environmental domains, significantly contributing to public health protection.
Risk assessment is a scientifically based process that systematically analyses and evaluates potential hazards and their likely adverse effects on human health, animal health, or the environment. It helps us understand:
Hazard: Any substance, organism, or activity that has the potential to cause harm (e.g., bacteria in food, a chemical contaminant in water).
Risk: The probability that a hazard will actually cause harm, combined with the severity of that harm.
For more detailed definitions, please refer to the resources provided by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
More on the definitions of hazard vs risk here.
The Institute “BIOR” conducts scientific risk assessments based on Latvian national legislation. The Law on the Supervision of the Handling of Food outlines the institute’s competence in this area.
BIOR’s risk assessments are:
Risk assessment is a key component of risk analysis, alongside risk management (decision-making on actions to be taken) and risk communication (exchange of information with all stakeholders). BIOR specialises in providing the scientific risk assessment necessary for effective risk management and communication.
We are also actively involved in risk communication to ensure our scientific findings reach all interested parties, including participation in EFSA’s #Safe2EatEU campaign.
BIOR’s scientists and experts provide high-level risk assessments across numerous food safety, animal health, and environmental health domains, including:
Risk-Benefit Assessment
BIOR also considers the growing field of risk-benefit assessment, which scientifically compares the potential risks and benefits of specific foods or diets to inform public health decisions.
BIOR actively collaborates with international organisations. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the EU’s key agency for risk assessment, and BIOR is EFSA’s cooperation partner and National Focal Point in Latvia.
BIOR’s risk assessments help ensure that the food on Latvian tables is safe, animals are healthy, and the environment is protected. Our work provides a scientific basis for decisions made by regulatory authorities and helps you, as consumers, feel more confident in your daily choices.
For inquiries about risk assessment or specific risks, please contact us at bior@bior.lv or the EFSA National Focal Point email efsa@bior.lv.
BIOR regularly prepares and publishes scientific opinions and risk assessments. We invite you to explore our published assessments in the Latvian section of the Institutes web here.
Examples include: “Scientific opinion on criteria for natural mineral water to be labelled ‘suitable for the preparation of infant food'” (2023) and “Study on the prevalence of pathogens in primary production products produced in Latvia” (2022).
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