Novel strategies and tools for microbial risk assessment of foods of animal origin

Abstract

Risk assessment aims at providing structured information for decision making, public health improvement, regulatory actions and research initiatives. The four very distinct steps in the risk assessment process enable risk management and risk communication, and thereby, a functional food safety system. Identification, characterization and assessment of risks demand the application of science-based, accurate and reliable methodologies. Nowadays, several different widely recognized approaches to risk assessment are applied worldwide. Novel omics technologies are benchmarking a new era of pathogen testing, providing much more than just accurate identification. These technologies have now opened the door for a more integrated approach that can enlighten transmission patterns and predictions of the transmission routes. Merging data on virulence, interaction of pathogens with different food matrices and the host, multiple data processing is resulting in reliable and science-based responses to the forthcoming challenges.