"Look, but Don't Touch" : Public Involvement in the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety

Since its creation in 2010, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) has involved “stakeholders” in its risk assessment activities. By “stakeholder” the French Agency means environmental organisations, professional bodies and trade unions which are interested in health and environmental issues. The stakeholders contribute to define the Agency’s strategic guidelines in thematic steering committees, some of them are members of the Agency’s Board, and they are consulted throughout the expertise process. I will examine how deliberative methods used by ANSES maintain boundaries between political or economic interests and risk assessment in order to guarantee the independence of scientific expertise. I will illustrate my presentation with ethnographic observations and interviews that I am carrying out for my postdoctoral work.