A common approach for ranking of microbiological and chemical hazards in foods based on risk assessment - useful but is it possible?

Abstract

This article compares and contrasts microbial and chemical risk assessment methodologies in order to evaluate the potential for a common framework for ranking of risk of chemical and microbiological hazards, and developments needed for such a framework. An overview of microbial (MRA) and chemical (CRA) risk assessment is presented and important differences are highlighted. Two microbiological and two chemical hazard-food combinations were ranked based on both a margin of exposure and a risk assessment approach. The comparisons illustrated that it is possible to rank chemical and microbiological hazard-food combinations with traditional approaches from each domain and indicated that the rank order but not the absolute measures is similar using either approach. Including severity in the assessment using DALY reduced differences between hazards and affected the outcome more than which approach was used. Ranking frameworks should include assessment of uncertainty as an integral part of the ranking, and be based on assessment of risk, not safety, and expressed in a common health metric such as disease burden. Necessary simplifications to address data gaps can involve the use of default scenarios. Challenges include comparisons of case-based vs. non-case-based health-endpoints, e.g. biomarker concentration, and integration of the severity of health effects into ranking.

Risk Ranking of Chemical and Microbiological Hazards in Foods ‐ Research Project and International Workshop

“…Methods used for chemical and microbiological risk ranking have been reviewed (Van der Fels-Klerx et al 2018). Risk is the most frequently used method for ranking, and in general, it follows the same basic four steps of risk assessment but some differences exist that were summarised in the article in text and tabular form (Lindqvist et al, 2019).…”

“…The purpose of this part of the project, which has been published in a review paper (Lindqvist et al, 2019), was to compare microbial and chemical risk assessment methodologies in order to highlight important commonalities and differences. The aim was to identify the main issues to address to enable common approaches for ranking of risks related to chemical and microbiological hazards and the developments needed for such a framework.…”

Theoretical and practical aspects of risk communication in food safety: A review study

“…Factors (physical, chemical and biological) that potentially cause adverse effects on health are named hazards, and the possibility of adverse effects caused by being exposed to hazards is called risks [ 76 ]. Hazards related to chemical and microbiological agents have differences in terms of detection methods (faster laboratory detection of chemical agents than microbiological agents), acute effects (microbiological agents), lifelong effects (chemical agents), continuous effects (chemical agents) and case-based effects (Microbiological factors), and the possibility of control (many chemical risks and lack of control of microbiological factors in the field) [ 77 ]. Hazard-based communication includes various aspects related to food hazard appraisal and affects the consumer's understanding of food risk uncertainty [ 78 ].…”

BIKE: Dietary Exposure Model for Foodborne Microbiological and Chemical Hazards

“…In food risk assessments, both chemical and microbiological hazards need to be assessed accounting for their similarities and differences in statistical analysis. Yet, the existing methods predominantly focus on one or the other separately [10]. There is need to assess several hazards, microbiological and chemical, at the same time for efficient use of risk assessment resources.…”