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Aim Drinks can contribute to energy as well as micro‐ and macro‐nutrient intake. Drink‐specific, validated, quick and easy to administer questionnaires are needed to monitor secular trends in beverage consumption for different populations. The aim of the present cross‐sectional study was to develop and validate a drink‐specific questionnaire for the Greek population. Methods A 41‐item semi‐quantitative drinks frequency questionnaire (DFQ) was developed and validated against 7‐day weighed food records, among young Greek adults. Wilcoxon ranks tests, Kendall tau‐b correlations and Bland–Altman plot were used to compare the two methods. Fifty‐nine Greek University students (28 males, 31 females) completed both methods. Results No difference was observed in total drinks intake between the two methods. The Bland–Altman plot showed that the two methods are likely to agree concerning the total drinks intake. Wilcoxon's rank test showed no significant differences between the two methods, except for the ‘whiskey/vodka/gin’ intake (P < 0.001). ‘Good’ agreement (tau‐b > 0.61) was observed for most DFQ items, including low‐fat and chocolate milk, hot chocolate, Greek/espresso coffee, commercial tea, packaged fruit juices, wine, alcohol‐free beer, light cola‐type drinks and water (tap/bottled/sparkling). ‘Low’ agreement (<0.30) was noted for filtered/instant/iced coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and some alcoholic drinks (beer/whiskey/vodka/gin). Conclusions The DFQ appears to be an overall valid means of estimating the habitual intake of drinks in large‐scale epidemiological surveys. The study supports the use of DFQ for assessing drinks consumption patterns and secular trends.

Data were collected for (i) consumption of non‐prepackaged ready‐to‐eat (RTE) cooked meat products, (ii) types of RTE cooked meat products available on the Greek market including analyses of water activity, pH, concentration of nitrite (NaNO2) and lactic acid bacteria, (iii) consumer practices after purchase of the meat products (e.g., transport time, handling, storage), (iv) temperature profiles in household refrigerators and (v) L. monocytogenes prevalence of the slicing machine and sliced RTE product. The Food Safety and Spoilage Predictor model was validated against observed L. monocytogenes growth in non‐prepackaged RTE cooked meat products at different static and dynamic temperature conditions simulating domestic stage. The data and validated model were used to develop a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model predicting the listeriosis risk related to the consumption of these meat products handled at retail stores in Greece. The probability of illness per serving was found highly related to the NaNO2 concentration; products having a lower concentration showed a higher risk per serving. A sensitivity analysis showed that the prevalence and initial concentration of L. monocytogenes immediately after slicing as well as the temperature and duration of storage in the domestic refrigerator had the highest impact on the probability of illness per serving. A median number of seven listeriosis cases per year was predicted for the total population upon consumption of these products handled at retail food service environments in Greece. The predicted 95th percentiles of the listeriosis cases totaled 33 of which 13 cases were <65 years old and 20 cases ≥65 years old. The higher number of cases was predicted for mortadella, smoked turkey, boiled turkey and parizer, which were the most frequently consumed categories. Two scenarios for assessing potential interventions to reduce the risk were tested: setting a use‐by date of 14 days in these products and improving the temperature of domestic storage. Both scenarios resulted in the elimination of the median number of annual cases and decreased significantly the 95th and 99th percentiles.

The Standard Sample Description 2.0 (SSD2) for food and feed is the extended EFSA standard for transmission of occurrence data of additional data collection domains such as zoonotic agents in food and animals, antimicrobial resistance and food additives from different data providers to EFSA for use in exposure assessments. This document reports on the results of the SSD2 pilot implementation within the Hellenic Food Authority with reference to the additional mandatory elements and detailed and specific information for the description of samples and analytical results. Within the scope of this project Data files have been produced and transmitted to the EFSA using the Data Collection Framework (DCF) method.