Risk Assessments for Salmonella in Eggs and Broiler Chickens

The burden of disease caused by micro-organisms in food has been on the increase in both developed and developing countries since the 1980s.

In 2000 the FAO and the WHO expanded their activities in the area of microbiological risk assessment to meet the increasing need for risk-based sceintific advice.One of the main aims of these activities is to provide a transparent review of scientific knowledge of microbiological risk and to develop the means of achieving sound quantitative risk assessments of specific pathogen-commodity combinations.

The assessments are developed with the specific aim of supporting practical efforts to lower the disease burden from foodborne micro-organisms at the global as well as the national level.This volume contains monographs on the risk assessment of salmonella in eggs and broiler chickens that have been prepared and reviewed by an international team of scientists.

During their preparation input was received from several international sources, including expert consultations and Codex Alimentarius committee meetings as well as public and peer reviews.The monographs in this volume comprise data and methodology relevant to the four steps of risk assessment - hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization and risk characterization - of salmonella in eggs and broiler chickens.This volume and others in the "Microbiological Risk Assessment" series contain information that should be useful to risk managers such as the Codex Commission, governments and food regulatory agencies, scientists, food producers and others working in the area of microbiological hazards in foods.