Use of the Codex Risk Analysis Framework To Reduce Risks Associated with Viruses in Food

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the organizations involved, the methods used, and the difficulties faced when starting a microbial risk assessment procedure for viruses in food. The potential of the Codex risk analysis framework to reduce risks associated with viruses in food is discussed using a bacterial example. The remainder of this chapter considers how the Codex Committee for Food Hygiene (CCFH) applies the Codex risk analysis framework to the area of microbial safety, encompassing microbiological risk assessment and management, and how it can be applied in the near future to reduce the burden of food-borne virus disease. The subsequent Discussion Paper on Viruses in Foods provided a comprehensive review of food-borne and waterborne viral gastroenteritis with a focus on caliciviruses and hepatitis, high-risk foodstuffs, virus detection in food and water, and the current status of prevention and disinfection. Very importantly, the efficacy of interventions and control measures (including cleaning and disinfection) is generally not sufficiently well known for viruses in food chains. An important factor in food-borne listeriosis is that the pathogen can grow to significant numbers at refrigeration temperatures when given sufficient time. Although a wide variety of foods may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, outbreaks and sporadic cases of listeriosis are associated predominantly with ready-to-eat (RtE) foods, a large, heterogeneous category of foodstuffs.