This is a question asked frequently by consumers. Consumers often react to food scares by avoiding certain food products altogether although the actual risk is very low. Often, they are unaware of the complex systems, practices and procedures which exist throughout the food chain to assess and minimise health risks.

We hear reports of food scares almost on a daily basis. They range from BSE and E. coli 0157 in beef to the latest research in the UK questioning a suggested link between cows' milk and a disease called para tuberculosis. Public opinion surveys show consumers believe the biggest threat to health originates in man-made substances in food - in preservatives and flavourings. Yet the World Health Organisation has confirmed the greatest dangers actually come from naturally occurring micro-organisms such as salmonella and certain very rare strains of E. coli. Government legislators have created a comprehensive system of risk assessment to set high food safety standards. Two different approaches evaluate risks coming from micro-organisms or additives in food. In the case of micro-organisms, risk assessment looks at different factors related to the food, the micro-organism and the consumer. This includes:

• Which micro-organisms target which foods?
• What is the possibility of contamination?
• What conditions does the micro-organism need to survive and develop in the food?
• How infectious or toxic is the micro-organism?
• What is its impact on particularly sensitive populations such as the sick or the elderly?

Answers to these questions allow the right measures to be taken to minimise microbial risk and harm to human health.

Food additives and other "man-made" ingredients are rigourously assessed before being used in food for human consumption. The component is tested to identify intake levels with no adverse effects. Then a "safety" or "uncertainty" factor is applied to ensure safe intake levels for humans. Scientific approval regarding levels of certain chemicals in food is very strict. Governments rely on national and international panels of scientific experts to provide them with independent advice on where to set limits. Different organisations and committees advise European Union legislators on food issues. They include specialists on public health, nutrition and toxicity from the Scientific Committees on Food and specialist committees dealing with animal nutrition, veterinary measures and toxicity. The United Nations' Codex Alimentarius, a joint organisation of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), provides international references on food standards. In the case of new foods, including those produced by biotechnology, the EU has developed a new set of risk assessment procedures - the Novel Foods Regulation. This procedure is used to identify if and how new foodstuffs are different from traditional products.

All aspects of a novel food that may raise specific questions are evaluated. Authorities require manufacturers to provide them with a very wide range of information about any new product:

• How the product was developed.
• A very detailed description of the new techniques applied.
• Information on the nutritional and chemical composition of the food.
• Results of all studies already carried out for the products to demonstrate safety and efficacy.
• How the product will be used in foodstuffs.
• How much the average consumer would be expected to ingest from this product and estimates of cumulative intake from diet.

Based on this information, the authorities then decide if the food is safe for human use. If there is the slightest doubt about its safety, additional tests will be required. Only if all results show that the food is safe will it then be approved for consumption.

Risk assessment permits legislators and all those involved in food safety to identify and minimise the possible hazards in the food chain. As in any human enterprise, zero risk in relation to food is impossible to achieve. Food safety is only achieved as a result of a number of deliberate actions taken along the food chain from producer to final consumer to eliminate the risk or reduce it to the lowest level possible. Once food leaves the supermarket consumers are well advised to follow recommended practices on careful storage and preparation. Only in this way can the highest levels of food safety be achieved throughout the food chain and in the home.

FOOD TODAY 09/1998