To support more consistent and quantitative assessments of new micro-organisms under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Health Canada's New Substances Program (NSP) sought to refine the tools and processes within its Microbial Risk Assessment Framework (MRAF). The NSP had previously collaborated with RSI to review and modernize the MRAF and develop a supporting computational tool. However, further work was required to validate the tool and ensure it aligned with current program needs and regulatory expectations.

To support international efforts in mitigating deliberate threats to the food system, the World Health Organization commissioned an update to its earlier guidance titled Terrorist Threats to Food. The revision aimed to broaden the original scope by addressing not only intentional acts, such as food terrorism, but also a wider array of systemic risks—ranging from pandemics to geopolitical disruptions—that could compromise global food safety.

To support national public health goals, RSI was tasked with developing a quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) model to estimate the human health risks associated with the consumption of chicken in New Zealand. The core objective was to quantify the relationship between Campylobacter contamination on poultry carcasses at the point of chilling and the subsequent incidence of foodborne illness among consumers.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) engaged Risk Sciences International to provide strategic advisory services aimed at enhancing its regulatory compliance model through risk-based methodologies. FCAC’s objective was to explore new approaches that would integrate digital tools and data-driven strategies into its compliance activities, in line with its strategic goal of strengthening consumer protection in financial markets.

To enhance the effectiveness of health product risk communications, a systematic evaluation was requested to assess the performance of key instruments used to disseminate safety and efficacy information. The aim was to support efforts under the Evaluating the Effectiveness of Risk Communications (EERC) initiative by identifying methodologies and metrics that could measure how well these tools reach their intended audience, how clearly messages are conveyed, and what impact they have on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.

To support more effective health policy and pandemic preparedness, this project examined how environmental health factors intersect with chronic disease and influence pandemic resilience. The client sought evidence to clarify how exposures to contaminants in air, water, and soil contribute to the environmental burden of disease in Canada and exacerbate vulnerability to infectious disease outcomes, including COVID-19.

In support of ongoing efforts to modernize Canada's food inspection system, a request was issued for scientific and analytical expertise to enhance two critical risk-based decision tools: the Establishment-based Risk Assessment (ERA) and Importer Risk Assessment (IRA) models. These models are used to allocate inspection resources across food establishments, importers, hatcheries, feed mills, and renderers in a structured and scientifically defensible manner.

A large number of domestic and foreign animal diseases with zoonotic health impacts to humans must be managed carefully to prevent disease transmission and spread. Risk management decisions often involve the comparison of different types of risk and the cost-effectiveness of different control measures for reducing risk. This requires that different types of risk be assessed in a consistent manner to allow cross-comparisons. The use of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) as a measure of the burden of human disease from domestic and foreign animal pathogens was completed for several zoonoses in Canada.