Towards an integrated approach in supporting microbiological food safety decisions.
Decisions on food safety involve consideration of a wide range of concerns including the public health impact of foodborne illness, the economic importance of the agricultural sector and the food industry, and the effectiveness and efficiency of interventions. To support such decisions, we propose an integrated scientific approach combining veterinary and medical epidemiology, risk assessment for the farm-to-fork food chain as well as agricultural and health economy. Scientific advice is relevant in all stages of the policy cycle: to assess the magnitude of the food safety problem, to define the priorities for action, to establish the causes for the problem, to choose between different control options, to define targets along the food chain and to measure success.
Havelaar
A H
AH
Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands. Arie.Havelaar@rivm.nl
Bräunig
J
J
Christiansen
K
K
Cornu
M
M
Hald
T
T
Mangen
M-J J
MJ
Mølbak
K
K
Pielaat
A
A
Snary
E
E
Van Pelt
W
W
Velthuis
A
A
Wahlström
H
H
D000818:Animals; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003657:Decision Making; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D020387:Food Chain; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000592:standards*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology / Q000592:standards; D011634:Public Health; D011640:Public Policy; D012306:Risk