Development of a digital Net-Map tool to analyse multi-stakeholder networks in risk analysis of emerging food safety issues

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The circular economy brings sustainability benefits but also causes potential food safety issues as recycling can introduce new contaminants to food contact materials. These circular food safety issues cause changes in the risk analysis network. So far, social network analysis studies relevant to food safety investigated specific parts of the risk analysis network (such as risk assessment) and its formal stakeholders such as Food Safety Authorities. However, the risk analysis network also consists informal stakeholders, each with their own knowledge and views. A comprehensive analysis of risk analysis networks addressing circularity-related food safety issues from a multi-stakeholder perspective is yet lacking. This study aimed to explore the complex risk analysis network for paper recycling in Belgium. An adjusted and digitalised network mapping methodology, Net-Mapping, was developed to identify the stakeholders, to assess their goals and influence, to determine the different linkages types between them, and to elicit constraints. Forty-one identified stakeholders from science, policy, and society were interconnected through four linkage types (‘legally required information sharing’, ‘voluntary information sharing’, ‘data generation request’, and ‘public communication’). Results show federal policy stakeholders are central in all networks, whereas science and society stakeholders gain influence in the informal networks. Barriers hindering collaboration in the networks are a lack of data and challenges in information exchange. The Net-Mapping insights can assist scientists in gathering risk assessment data, guide policymakers in targeting interventions, and raise stakeholder awareness of collaborations. Future research could compare risk analysis networks across countries for the same food safety issue, or examine the risk analysis networks for different food safety issues in the same country.