The application of the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) and Food Safety Objective (FSO) concepts in food safety management, using Listeria monocytogenes in deli meats as a case study

Abstract

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.

Estimation and evaluation of management options to control and/or reduce the risk of not complying with commercial sterility

“…Beside the original scientific result concerning an aseptic UHT dairy product line, the added value of this study was also the presentation of a methodology enabling to quantitatively evaluate the management options to control/reduce a risk. There are only few studies describing similar approaches, at least in the food safety or food spoilage fields (Crouch et al, 2009;Gkogka et al, 2013;Perez-Rodriguez et al, 2006;Tenenhaus-Aziza et al, 2014). Having a modular model structure, with each module covering different microbial pathways, helps in performing a logical risk analysis.…”

Risk assessment of proteolytic Clostridium botulinum in canned foie gras

“…In their analysis of Salmonella epidemiological data, Gkogka et al (2013b) considered that the number of under-reported cases was high (38 cases for 1 actual reported one) while for Listeria monocytogenes, they estimated that the figure was much lower (2 cases for 1 actual reported one) (Gkogka et al, 2013a). In the absence of solid values for C. botulinum, it was decided to adopt a fail-safe approach: the number of illness per million inhabitants was kept as calculated (Eq.…”

“…(11)) and not multiplied by a somewhat arbitrary factor. This is a fail-safe approach as the number of illness per million inhabitant might be used to recommend an ALOP on the assumptions that the current number of illnesses per million inhabitants is deemed acceptable (Gkogka et al, 2013a). By keeping the number of illness per million inhabitant low, we keep the ALOP value low as well.…”

“…Recently, in their comprehensive study on proteolytic C. botulinum, Anderson et al (2011) have mathematically integrated raw material initial contamination (H 0 ), effect of thermal treatment on microbial inactivation (ΣR) and spore inhibition (ΣI) to the Food Safety Objective (FSO). More generally, applications of risk-based approaches in microbial safety management has been gaining interest in the last decade, with applications on vegetative pathogens (Gkogka et al, 2013a;Membré et al, 2007;Tenenhaus-Aziza et al, 2014;Uyttendaele et al, 2006) but also on spore forming pathogenic bacteria (Crouch et al, 2009). …”

“…This analysis relies on the hypothesis that the current number of illnesses per million inhabitants is deemed acceptable and might be then assimilated to an ALOP (EFSA, 2007;Gkogka et al, 2013a). Outputs from the QMRA model and from the epidemiological data analysis were then compared to assess whether current practices regarding thermal treatment of canned foie gras are sufficient to control the risk of C. botulinum in foie gras, or, conversely whether alternative risk-based management options should be suggested.…”