Practical Approaches to Risk Assessment†

Abstract

The aim of microbiological risk assessment is to facilitate decision making at various levels of food safety management. At the personal level, the decision concerns what to eat and what not to eat. Knowledge concerning the potential risks of certain foods and the degree of satisfaction derived from eating a food are important criteria in making the decision. Food suppliers must make the decision for their customers or consumers. They will limit the risk that someone may get ill as much as possible. Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) is the system of choice to produce or prepare safe food. During the elaboration of an HACCP plan, many decisions must be made, and risk assessment may be a useful tool in this process. Governments should use risk assessment to select risk management measures for both the internal market and the export market because the GATT/SPS agreement stipulates that standards used for food in international trade should be established on scientific principles and risk assessment. A practical approach to the risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes is given as an example.