Risk assessment has been extensively developed in several scientific fields, such as environmental science, economics, and civil engineering, among others. In the aftermath of the SPS and GATT agreements on the use of risk analysis framework in food trade, signed in the 1990s, international organisations and governments adopted risk assessment as a science-based process to ensure food safety along the food chain. The food industry can also benefit from the use of this approach for food process optimisation and quality assurance. Risk Assessment Methods for Biological and Chemical Hazards in Food introduces the reader to quantitative risk assessment methods encompassing general concepts to specific applications to biological and chemical hazards in foods. In the first section, the book presents food risk assessment as methodology and addresses, more specifically, new trends and approaches such as the development of risk rating methods, risk metrics, risk-benefit assessment studies and quality assessment methods. Section II is dedicated to biological hazards. This section identifies the most relevant biological hazards along the food chain and provides an overview on the types of predictive microbiology models used to describe the microbial response along the food chain. Chapter 12 specifically deals with cross contamination and the quantitative methods that can be applied to describe this relevant microbial process. The development and application of dose-response models (i.e. mathematical function describing the relationship between pathogen dose and health response) are also covered in this section. In Section III, the book translates risk assessment concepts into the area of chemical hazards, defining the process steps to determine chemical risk and describing the uncertainty and variability sources associated with chemicals. Key Features: Presents new trends and approaches in the field of risk assessment in foods Risk assessment concepts are illustrated by practical examples in the food sector Discusses how quantitative information and models are integrated in a quantitative risk asssment framework Provides examples of applications of quantitative chemical risk assessment in risk management The book, written by renowned experts in their field, is a comprehensive collection of quantitative methods and approaches applied to risk assessment in foods. It can be used as an extensive guide for food safety practitioners and researchers to perform quantitative risk assessment in foods

This book provides a concise, accessible and affordable source of reference covering a wide range of known and emerging food safety hazards, both biological and chemical.

"This volume takes an in-depth look at various biological and chemical hazards in food and food products that pose health threats. It also outlines methods and practices for the diagnosis, prevention, and management of these hazards in food production processes. The new scientific research and case studies presented in the volume cover mycotoxins, foodborne pathogens, antibiotic residues from dairy animals, pesticide residues, the presence of heavy metals in food, and more. Chapters also address food allergy management and offer lessons and practices in food recall situations. The authors discuss the various food toxins, their sources, as well as management, mitigation, and prevention strategies. Also addressed are the specific adverse effects on people with health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and more. This book is organized in such a way that each chapter treats one major food safety hazard and offers novel control methods for health, food safety, and quality enhancement through various means. Biological and Chemical Hazards in Food and Food Products: Prevention, Practices, and Management will aid researchers and policymakers as it illustrates the various aspects of food safety hazards and how to analyze and control these potential health threats"--

Food safety is important and consumers have a right to expect that those who supply the food that they buy have taken every care to manufacture products that will do them no harm. Those with a responsibility for the regulation of the global food industry recognise this principle and legislate accordingly and the business of managing and regulating the safety of the food supply chain has come a long way in the last 25 years or so. Prompted by the emergence of new food safety hazards, such as the bacterial pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157, powerful new techniques for evaluating and managing the risks presented by these threats have been developed. For example, hazard analysis critical control point, or HACCP, has now become the food safety management system of choice worldwide. Although the food safety management tools are now widely available, they are still virtually useless unless they are supported by adequate and accurate information. HACCP does not work unless its practitioners have access to enough data and scientific knowledge to enable them to understand hazards and how to control them effectively. The Food Safety Hazard Guidebook is an attempt to address the problem of accessing the available information by distilling the key facts about a wide range of individual food safety hazards into a single text. The result is a guidebook, rather than an encyclopaedia, which acts as a portal for the immense and ever expanding body of scientific knowledge that exists for food safety. It is an easy-to-use information resource for anyone with a professional interest in the safety of the food supply. The book is easy to navigate and presents concise and carefully researched factual information on a wide range of biological and chemical hazards in a clear format that is designed to support risk analysis exercises and HACCP studies. It covers a broad range of established and emerging food safety hazards and includes details of authoritative sources of further information (many web-based) for those seeking to examine a topic in greater depth. The section on food allergens is a particularly valuable component of the book, the chapters on fish toxins are also useful and unusual in a book of this kind and bacterial pathogens are comprehensively covered. One of the most important features of the book is the wide scope of the content and the highly structured format designed to help the reader find information quickly. Other key benefits to the reader are: -The wide range of biological and chemical hazards covered in a single book -Written specifically with food industry professionals in mind -Easy to navigate and accessible for the non-expert -Clear and concise presentation of factual information presented in a format that lends itself to use in risk assessment exercises -Inclusion of references and web links to reliable sources of further information on each chapter -specifically designed for practical use by a professional readership

Food Chemical Risk Analysis provides an introduction to the sciences of food chemistry and risk analysis and demonstrates how the potential hazards associated with food chemicals can be assessed and managed. Food scares are never far from the news and particular attention is therefore focused on the consumer perception of risk and risk communication. Leading international experts provide unique insights in the future of food chemical risk analysis. Chapters on alternatives to animal testing show how emerging methods offer the prospect of a more rational human-based approach to toxicity testing. Discussions about relative risks and protective factors highlight the possibility that risks from food can be over-estimated and approaches to avoid such risks are proposed. The science of risk management is presented as more than just a method for translating science into policy by demonstrating how social, psychological, economic ethical and other factors can, and should be taken into account. The book makes it clear that if risk communication is to be effective, an integrated approach to risk analysis must be adopted.

Microbiological risk assessment (MRA) is one of the most important recent developments in food safety management. Adopted by Codex Alimentarius and many other international bodies, it provides a structured way of identifying and assessing microbiological risks in food. Edited by two leading authorities, and with contributions by international experts in the field, Microbiological risk assessment provides a detailed coverage of the key steps in MRA and how it can be used to improve food safety.The book begins by placing MRA within the broader context of the evolution of international food safety standards.Part one introduces the key steps in MRA methodology. A series of chapters discusses each step, starting with hazard identification and characterisation before going on to consider exposure assessment and risk characterisation. Given its importance, risk communication is also covered. Part two then considers how MRA can be implemented in practice. There are chapters on implementing the results of a microbiological risk assessment and on the qualitative and quantitative tools available in carrying out a MRA. It also discusses the relationship of MRA to the use of microbiological criteria and another key tool in food safety management, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems.With its authoritative coverage of both principles and key issues in implementation, Microbiological risk assessment in food processing is a standard work on one of the most important aspects of food safety management. Provides a detailed coverage of the key steps in microbiological risk assessment (MRA) and how it can be used to improve food safety Places MRA within the broader context of the evolution of international food safety standards Introduces the key steps in MRA methodology, considers exposure assessment and risk characterisation, and covers risk communication

Food safety is important and consumers have a right to expect that those who supply the food that they buy have taken every care to manufacture products that will do them no harm. Those with a responsibility for the regulation of the global food industry recognise this principle and legislate accordingly and the business of managing and regulating the safety of the food supply chain has come a long way in the last 25 years or so. Prompted by the emergence of new food safety hazards, such as the bacterial pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157, powerful new techniques for evaluating and managing the risks presented by these threats have been developed. For example, hazard analysis critical control point, or HACCP, has now become the food safety management system of choice worldwide. Although the food safety management tools are now widely available, they are still virtually useless unless they are supported by adequate and accurate information. HACCP does not work unless its practitioners have access to enough data and scientific knowledge to enable them to understand hazards and how to control them effectively. The Food Safety Hazard Guidebook is an attempt to address the problem of accessing the available information by distilling the key facts about a wide range of individual food safety hazards into a single text. The result is a guidebook, rather than an encyclopaedia, which acts as a portal for the immense and ever expanding body of scientific knowledge that exists for food safety. It is an easy-to-use information resource for anyone with a professional interest in the safety of the food supply. The book is easy to navigate and presents concise and carefully researched factual information on a wide range of biological and chemical hazards in a clear format that is designed to support risk analysis exercises and HACCP studies. It covers a broad range of established and emerging food safety hazards and includes details of authoritative sources of further information (many web-based) for those seeking to examine a topic in greater depth. The section on food allergens is a particularly valuable component of the book, the chapters on fish toxins are also useful and unusual in a book of this kind and bacterial pathogens are comprehensively covered. One of the most important features of the book is the wide scope of the content and the highly structured format designed to help the reader find information quickly. Other key benefits to the reader are: -The wide range of biological and chemical hazards covered in a single book -Written specifically with food industry professionals in mind -Easy to navigate and accessible for the non-expert -Clear and concise presentation of factual information presented in a format that lends itself to use in risk assessment exercises -Inclusion of references and web links to reliable sources of further information on each chapter -specifically designed for practical use by a professional readership.