Implementation of food safety programs

Abstract

Domestic and international consumer food safety concerns are increasingly reflected in international trade agreements and domestic food safety legislation. The process of risk assessment provides the framework for relating food safety measures to public health outcomes, and thereby a scientifically objective basis for selecting and implementing food safety procedures at the appropriated points along the food supply-chain. A survey of food industry stakeholders in Australia strongly endorsed greater utilisation of risk assessment on a through-chain basis for the development of biologically valid food safety measures and their willingness to collaborate. This approach equally applies to the primary sector and has ramifications for the epidemiological and diagnostic rigour of research studies designed to underpin the development of food safety risk management options for industry. Stakeholders also identified the need to enhance food borne hazard surveillance in the primary sector and integrate this with public health surveillance.