The role of risk assessment in guiding aflatoxin policy

Risk assessment is a powerful tool for helping risk managers and policymakers to understand risk, evaluate risk control options, and make decisions that balance the benefits of risk reduction with the costs of mitigation. This brief shows how the principles of risk assessment and risk management could be applied to aflatoxins to support public health policy. It first describes risk assessment, then discusses some of the insights provided by risk assessment that are relevant to aflatoxins, and finally considers the key implications for aflatoxin policy.