Page 339 - Biosystems Engineering

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Risk assessment of industrial processes and reactions has been
widely used by engineers. However, the use of risk assessment tech-
niques in assessing disease risk is relatively recent (Hugas et al. 2007).
Risk assessment has been identified as being applicable to food safety
issues in two main areas: (1) international trade in animals and animal
products, where the possibility of importing infected/contaminated
products has long been recognized, and (2) food hygiene, to examine
toxic residues and infectious organisms in meat and meat products
(Wooldridge et al. 1996). Traditional methods of managing risks,
particularly when considering international movement, have tended
to rely on zero-risk policies when asking whether imports should be
allowed into a disease-free area. Recent developments in interna-
tional trade mean that this is no longer acceptable, and disease risks
must be balanced against trading benefits. This brings into promi-
nence the need for food safety management systems based on risk
assessment.
In many cases, given the availability of some basic parameters,
risk assessment modeling is often able to create the same results as a
pilot study at a lower cost and in a shorter time. In addition, recent
developments in information technology have meant that personal
computers are now capable of handling enormous amounts of data
easily and carrying out complicated calculations quickly. Risk assess-
ment can be a useful tool in improving our understanding of the
behavior of foodborne pathogens and enables the evaluation of dif-
ferent control methods. This approach allows an estimation of the
relationship between different parameters influencing foodborne
pathogens and can lead to an improved understanding of the effect of
each factor on the future course of disease occurrence.
There is a clear need for a risk assessment framework within
which foodborne pathogens can be understood, interventions
planned, and the potential risk to humans quantified. Risk assess-
ment must be undertaken in an independent, objective, and transpar-
ent manner based on the best available science (EC 2008). It provides
a basis for evidence-based decision making in food safety and helps
to improve the transparency of the process. This will result in better
risk communication and help to build trust among stakeholders
(Hugas et al. 2007).
Risk analysis has formed an important role in the development of
food safety management and encourages science-based decision
making to improve food safety controls, to identify data gaps, and to
assist in devising risk management strategies. International trade
agreements, such as GATT and NAFTA, have requirements for risk
assessment in their sanitary and SPS agreements (WTO 1995). Risk
assessment has been useful as a means of influencing European pol-
icy and determining control techniques; for example, risk assessment
was essential in determining policies to control the BSE epidemic
(Ferguson et al. 1997). Risk assessment has come to the fore as the