AFSI Newsletter - November 2020
Spotlighting our eLearning Courses on Biosafety and Food Safety
The Agriculture & Food Systems Institute is gearing up to launch two new eLearning courses at the end of this year–Environmental Risk Assessment of Non-Target Organisms for GE Crops and Genetic Variability in Crops. In the meantime, this winter presents an excellent opportunity to explore our existing courses on biosafety and food safety, many of which are also available in Chinese and Spanish. These courses are designed to support our capacity building efforts and are made available to regulatory agencies, academics, the private sector, and other interested stakeholders upon request, free of charge.
Biosafety Courses
Application of Problem Formulation to the Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically Engineered Crops
This course introduces key concepts of problem formulation for the environmental risk assessment of genetically engineered (GE) crops. Designed to be completed in a few hours, the material is organized into three lessons covering what problem formulation is, the steps in problem formulation, and how it may be applied to environmental risk assessment.
Confined Field Trials of Genetically Engineered Plants
Organized into six lessons with quizzes to provide immediate feedback, this course explains what low level presence (LLP) is, how it can occur, and the various ways that regulators might respond to instances of LLP. Through examples, students will also learn how to use problem formulation in the assessment of environmental risks that could result from LLP. 
Understanding Low Level Presence in Agricultural Biotechnology
Organized into six lessons with quizzes to provide immediate feedback, this course explains what low level presence (LLP) of genetically engineered crops is, how it can occur, and the various ways that regulators might respond to instances of LLP. Through examples, students will learn how to use problem formulation in the assessment of environmental risks that could result from LLP.
Food Safety Courses
Concepts in the Safety Assessment of Novel Food and Feed
This course discusses how people use information about foods to make basic decisions regarding food safety and how government regulators use similar information to address the safety of novel foods that may be introduced into their country’s food supply. It also provides an introduction to the problem formulation framework for organizing safety assessments of novel foods, particularly those derived from GE plants. 
Application of Problem Formulation to Food and Feed Safety Assessments
In this course, students will learn what problem formulation is and how it can be applied to the safety assessments conducted to assess the safety of foods and feed derived from GE crops. Aimed at risk assessors and risk managers, the course shows how problem formulation can be used in GE food and feed safety assessments to ensure that they are fit for purpose and can facilitate decision-making.