What are the most effective intervention strategies for preventing or controlling microbiological and chemical contaminant risks at different parts of the food chain?

Background

FSS’s risk assessment function relies on a robust, up to date evidence base relating to the microbiological and chemical hazards that have the potential to contaminate Scotland’s food chain, the biological effects of these hazards and their impacts on human and/or animal health, and the extent to which our population is, or may become, exposed to these hazards from food and other likely sources. This scientific evidence is key in enabling us to characterise the risks associated with current and emerging hazards in commonly consumed products and understand food safety risks in novel and innovative products which are new to the market. It can be generated through food and environmental surveillance, dietary monitoring and toxicological studies, in addition to the investigation of food safety management systems and modelling approaches for estimating the attribution of contaminants along the food chain. It also depends on the availability of robust methods for sampling and testing food for the full range of hazards that may occur.
In order to mitigate food safety risks, we also need to understand how microbiological and chemical hazards are affected as a result changes in the environment and production methods, and the interventions that will have the greatest impact in preventing contamination. This evidence supports us in developing guidance for businesses and enforcement authorities in effective food safety management.
This research theme aims to support method development and the generation of data that will strengthen our understanding of microbiological and chemical food safety hazards in food produced in Scotland, and the design and evaluation of effective interventions for mitigating the risks.