The new service, known as DARE, has been designed by specialist communications consultancy Razor and CCFRA to enable companies to develop comprehensive strategies for tackling the multitude of risks currently facing food and drink organisations.
It was launched during the association's open day last week.
The service is based on a guiding principle that technical, operational and reputation issues should not be reviewed and managed in isolation but as part of a cohesive approach to risk management.
DARE - which follows a four phase cycle of Diagnose, Assess, Reform and Evaluate - provides a modular, and therefore versatile, approach to risk and crisis management. Companies can pick and choose from a menu of modules, each moulded from a wide variety of best-practice industry risk and crisis management techniques, to develop their own tailored programmes.
"We have researched the European market widely for the last five years and we know that the increasing combined pressures of corporate governance and public scrutiny are forcing more and more food and drink companies to review their risk assessment and management practices," said Chris Woodcock, managing director of Razor.
"We would like to convince them that it really makes sense to integrate the technical and communications aspects of business continuity and that this combination not only provides a defensive force but also opens up positive commercial opportunities."
Dr Mike Stringer, director of the food technology division at CCFRA, said that he was excited about the partnership between Razor and CCFRA.
"It gives our members the chance to experience risk assessment and management best practice in a modular form, perhaps testing particular areas of weakness or need before expanding to a more inclusive approach," he said.
CCFRA Group is the UK's largest independent membership-based organisation carrying out research and development for the food and drinks industry worldwide.