Fao Who Guidelines On Risk Characterization Of Microbiological Hazards In Food

It is in the risk characterization step that the results of the risk assessment are presented.

Contains information that is useful to both risk assessors and risk managers, including international scientific committees, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, governments, and food regulatory agencies, scientists, food producers and industries and other people or institutions with an interest in microbiological hazards in foods, their impact on public health and food trade and their control.

Risk characterization is one of the four steps of microbiological risk assessment, which include hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization and risk characterization. Risk characterization is defined as an estimation of the probability of occurrence and severity of known or potential adverse health effects in a population based on hazard identification, hazard characterization and exposure assessment. It is in the risk characterization step that the results of the risk assessment are presented. These results are provided in the form of risk estimates and risk descriptions that present answers to the questions risk managers pose to risk assessors. These answers, in turn provide the best available science-based evidence to be used by risk managers to assist them in managing food safety. This volume presents guidelines for risk characterization of microbiological hazards in foods. These guidelines provide descriptive guidance on how to conduct risk characterizations in various contexts, and utilizing a variety of tools and techniques. They have been developed in recognition of the fact that reliable estimation of risk is critical to the overall risk assessment. This volume and others in the Microbiological Risk Assessment Seriescontain information that is useful to both risk assessors and risk managers, including international scientific committees, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, governments and food regulatory agencies, scientists, food producers and industries and other people or institutions with an interest in the area of microbiological hazards in foods, their impact on human health and food trade and their control.

The guidelines aim to provide a practical framework and approach for undertaking exposure assessment of microbiological hazards (bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and microbial toxins) in foods in the context of a risk assessment or as a stand-alone process.

This document provides guidance on undertaking risk assessment of all microbial hazards which may adversely affect human health in foods along a food chain. This document is also intended to provide practical guidance on a structured framework for carrying out risk assessment of microbiological hazards in foods, focussing on the four components including hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk characterization. These guidelines therefore represent the best practice at the time of their preparation, and it is hoped that they will help stimulate further developments and disseminate the current knowledge.

The microbiological safety of food is becoming an increasingly important issue in many countries. A number of factors have contributed to this, including changes in methods of food production and processing, changing consumption patterns, greater consumer awareness of food safety issues and emerging and re-emerging pathogens. Also, the expansion of international trade in food has increased the risk of infectious agents being disseminated from the original point of production to locations thousands of miles away. In addressing this issue at the international level FAO and WHO convened a joint Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Microbiological Hazards in Foods from 17 to 21 July 2000 in Rome. The meeting specifically addressed risk assessment of Salmonella spp. in broilers and eggs and Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. This report summarizes its findings and includes advice and guidance on hazard characterization and exposure assessment of these pathogen-commodity combinations for consideration by FAO/WHO Member Countries and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The objective of this guidance is to provide direction to decision-makers on how to start ranking the public health risk posed by foodborne hazards and/or foods in their countries. The primary focus is microbial and chemical hazards in foods, but the overall approach could be used for any hazard. This guidance was developed with a wide audience in mind, including but not limited to microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists, environmental health scientists, public health epidemiologists, risk analysts, risk managers, and policy makers. Political will and a strong commitment to modernize food safety are key to the successful development and implementation of any risk ranking effort at the country level.

A FAO/WHO expert consultation on principles and guidelines for incorporating microbiological risk assessment in the development of food safety standards, guidelines and related texts was held in Kiel, Germany from 18-22 March 2002. The consultation was opened by Dr. Hans Bohm, Head of the Division of Food Hygiene in the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, who reinforced the importance of risk assessment in the design and implementation of food safety measures for microbiological hazards.