In Switzerland. the safeguarding of food is the responsibility of industry, organizations, and governmental authorities. The dispersion of the tasks and the diversity of implemented safety measures among involved stakeholders do not allow a general overview of the national safety assurance level provided. A comprehensive evaluation of the level of safety assurance provided for foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp. is therefore lacking, and the prevalence of Salmonella spp. at various points in the food production chain is not known. The objectives of this study were to (i) collect data on safety measures implemented throughout the food production chain in Switzerland regarding Salmonella spp.; (ii) evaluate the safety assurance level for Salmonella spp. at each step of the production chain for chicken meat, pork, beef, and milk and dairy products (bovine origin); and (iii) gather data on the prevalence of the pathogen at each step. Data on implemented safety assurance measures for Salmonella spp. were gathered from the various stakeholders in the food production chain. The data were analyzed by a semiquantitative method that considered the quality and relevance of the implemented safety measures for Salmonella spp. The safety assurance level for Salmonella spp. was evaluated from "no safety assurance" to "very good safety assurance." Available results of testing for Salmonella spp. from 1998 to 2000 were used for calculating the prevalence of the pathogen throughout the food production chain. The results showed a varying safety assurance level for Salmonella spp. throughout the food production chain. Strengths (e.g., feed production for chickens) and weaknesses (e.g., pork production) were observed. These results serve as a basis for a rational optimization of the system.
Various safety assurance measures are implemented in Switzerland throughout the food production chain to prevent foods of animal origin from being contaminated with Salmonella. The data that are generated from the implementation of these measures are dispersed and heterogeneous. This hinders a general overview and makes a comprehensive national evaluation of the safety assurance level difficult. A semiquantitative method that considers the quality and relevance of the various safety assurance measures for Salmonella spp. was developed. The method uses the data generated from the implementation of safety assurance measures on a national basis (gathered by interviewing stakeholders in the production step). By assembling and analyzing the data systematically, the safety assurance level for Salmonella spp. can be evaluated at every step of the food production chain. This method allows the detection of strengths and weaknesses of the safety system. The systematic evaluation procedures permit comparisons between production steps and product categories. The method was used for evaluating the safety assurance levels throughout the production chain of eggs and egg products in Switzerland. Results of the analysis showed that the overall safety assurance levels for Salmonella spp. at all production steps for eggs and egg products were good. The relatively straightforward implementation of the method made it particularly appropriate in the context of a preliminary evaluation. The method does not have the same high level of detail that is provided by microbial quantitative risk assessments, but it allows an analyst to provide meaningful results when the large amount of data required for a quantitative approach are not present while including the entire "farm to fork" continuum. It may be used as a basis for more in-depth assessments of food safety levels within various production sectors. The method could be adapted for evaluating the safety assurance for other zoonotic foodborne pathogens of interest, such as Campylobacter spp.
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