In a recent report by risk assessment experts on the identification of food safety priorities using the Delphi technique, foodborne viruses were recognized among the top rated food safety priorities and have become a greater concern to the food industry over the past few years. Food safety experts agreed that control measures for viruses throughout the food chain are required. However, much still needs to be understood with regard to the effectiveness of these controls and how to properly validate their performance, whether it is personal hygiene of food handlers or the effects of processing of at risk foods or the interpretation and action required on positive virus test result. This manuscript provides a description of foodborne viruses and their characteristics, their responses to stress and technologies developed for viral detection and control. In addition, the gaps in knowledge and understanding, and future perspectives on the application of viral detection and control strategies for the food industry, along with suggestions on how the food industry could implement effective control strategies for viruses in foods. The current state of the science on epidemiology, public health burden, risk assessment and management options for viruses in food processing environments will be highlighted in this review.

TOC summary: These infections may account for 896 disability-adjusted life years per 1 million inhabitants annually.

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To establish a link between governmental food safety control and operational food safety management, the concepts of the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) and the Food Safety Objective (FSO) have been suggested by international bodies as a means of making food safety control transparent and quantifiable. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the concepts of ALOP and FSO could be applied in practice. As a case study, the risk of severe listeriosis due to consumption of deli meat products in the Netherlands was taken. The link between these concepts was explored for two situations following a "top-down" approach, using epidemiological country data as a starting point, and a "bottom-up" approach, using data on the prevalence and concentration of the pathogen at retail as a starting point. Models based on both approaches were able to describe the link between ALOP and FSO and our results showed that meaningful estimations are feasible, although interpretations need to be made with care. For the top-down approach, the mean estimated value derived for ALOP was 3.2 cases per million inhabitants per year (95% CrI: 1.1-6.6). For the bottom-up approach, ALOP values ranged considerably, 4.7-55 (with 95% CrI ranging from 2.9-162), depending on the input parameters selected. The level of detail considered in the stochastic models considerably influenced the ALOP and FSO estimates. As best practice it is recommended to develop both approaches, although depending on the application context one may appear more appropriate than the other.

Growth and growth boundary model with terms for melting salts to predict growth responses of Listeria monocytogenes in spreadable processed cheese