Brussels, 04/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - The concept of risks to human health in the mind of consumers is a highly complex question to evaluate, which makes it all the more important for public authorities to provide adequate information, said the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne, speaking in Brussels on Thursday. The Commissioner was taking part in a conference on risk perception in terms of food safety, along with the German Minister Renate Künast (consumer protection, food safety and agriculture), and her Spanish counterpart Miguel Arias Cañete. Participants spoke of the need to keep the public informed about the genuine risks at play during food crises, to avoid panic and irrational reactions. This subject is all the more topical due to the fact that foods containing GMOs are being hotly debated throughout the world. EUROPE will come back on this.