Microbiological Risk Assessment as the Basis for Food-safety Criteria

Food consumption data in microbiological risk assessment.

The 1st International Conference on Microbiological Risk Assessment: Foodborne Hazards was held in July 2002. One of the goals of that conference was to evaluate the current status and future needs and directions of the science of microbial risk assessment. This article is based in part on a talk presented at that meeting. Here, we review the types of food consumption data available for use in ...

Microbial food safety risk assessment

Determining the microbiological criteria for lot rejection from the performance objective or food safety objective.

The Microbiological Criteria (MC) is a set of parameters used to determine whether a specific lot of food is acceptable or not. These parameters are the microbial test protocol and its sensitivity, the confidence level that an unacceptable lot will be detected, the number of samples to be taken and the number of positive samples that are allowed before rejecting the lot. Determining the microbi...

Microbiological Food Safety for Vulnerable People

Foodborne pathogens are more likely to cause infection and to result in serious consequences in vulnerable people than in healthy adults. People with some increase in susceptibility may form nearly 20% of the population in the UK and the USA. Conditions leading to increased susceptibility are listed. The main factors leading to foodborne disease caused by major pathogens are outlined and exampl...

Microbiological Safety Validation of Food Processes

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law on January 4, 2011 by President Obama. It represents the largest expansion of food safety requirements and FDA food safety authorities since the enactment of the original Food Drug & Cosmetic Act in 1938. It adds Section 418 to the US FD&C Act, requiring facilities to perform a hazard analysis and implement a preventive controls plan....