Development of a risk-ranking framework to evaluate simultaneously biological and chemical hazards related to food safety: Application to emerging dietary practices in France

Ranking food products based on estimating and combining their microbiological, chemical and nutritional risks: Method and application to Ready-To-Eat dishes sold in France

Microbiological (M), chemical (C), and nutritional (N) risks associated with food products are usually assessed and managed independently by experts in public services or food companies. This can render difficult the comparison of food products in term of overall risk for the consumer. The objective of this study was to suggest a relatively simple method to (i) classify food products based on their M, C and N risks, and (ii) aggregate these risks and rank the food products accordingly. The method was developed and applied to 17 ready-to-eat (RTE) dishes available on the French market. With regard to food safety, the individual M and C risks were characterized considering likelihood and severity as recommended by the Codex Alimentarius. With regard to nutrition/health, the N risk was estimated based on the tendency of the dish to contribute to nutrient adequacy and to a healthy eating pattern. Finally, the outranking method PROMETHEE was applied to aggregate the three M, C, N risks and rank the food dishes. Food products were ranked relatively to each other, not in absolute terms. When we attributed the same weight to M, C and N risks, the RTE dish "Duck Parmentier" had the highest risk score while "Papillote of chicken, potatoes and small vegetables" and "Vegetarian plate vegetables and quinoa" had the lowest. However, this overall ranking changed according to the weight assigned to individual M, C and N risks, at least for food products whose scores varied according to risk types, such as"sushi discovery" (high M and C risks, low N risk). Since the risk ranking method developed here was built with assumptions and hypotheses related to the specific case study, more applications are needed to assess whether it can be generic. Nevertheless, this method is well grounded, objective, transparent, relatively fast and easy to set up. It might lead to further development of decision tools, particularly for consumers. This study paves the way towards food product multi-risk ranking.

Risk ranking of chemical hazards in foods: comparison of aggregating methods using infant formula as an example

The aim of this study was to rank several chemical hazards present in one food item, namely infant formula. We first identified the substances potentially present in infant foods according to the results of the French infant Total Diet Study and to the available scientific literature. Second, we built three criteria to rank the hazards: severity, contribution to the total exposure, and risk characterisation. Each criterion was scored using quantitative or semi-quantitative scales. Third, in order to rank the chemical hazards, two approaches of aggregation of the three criteria were deployed. On the one hand, a multi-criteria decision analysis outranking method and on the other hand a semi-quantitative risk-matrix type method. We then tested these approaches on follow-on formulae for the 7-12 months population, for which contamination data from the French infant Total Diet study were available. The results of both methods showed that the six prioritised substances are the same even if not in the exact same order (acrylamide, inorganic arsenic, furan, chromium VI, lead and PCDD/Fs) demonstrating the robustness of these approaches.

Knowledge and Behavioral Habits to Reduce Mycotoxin Dietary Exposure at Household Level in a Cohort of German University Students

Mycotoxins pose a health concern for humans. Therefore, strategies at pre- and post-harvest and maximum levels for food have been implemented, aimed to minimize the risk of dietary exposure. Yet, consumers’ dietary habits and life style play a substantial role in overall exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge of mycotoxins and accordance to behavioral practices or habits that may affect the risk of mycotoxin dietary exposure at the household level or when food commodities are obtained from non-regulated trade markets. For this purpose, an online survey was applied to a university student cohort (n = 186). The survey consisted of 23 questions grouped in five categories: Socio-demographic and income data, general life style and habits, knowledge about mycotoxins, compliance with the “17 golden rules to prevent mycotoxin contamination” of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), and measures towards reducing health risks. We paid particular attention to knowledge and compliance of a group acquiring food items in markets outside regulation and surveillance, namely, adherents of food movements such as food sharing or dumpster diving. The results of our study indicate a generally rather low level of knowledge about mycotoxins in the investigated cohort, as well as a weak perception of their associated risks compared to similar studies; around half of the cohort was unfamiliar with the term “mycotoxin” and the health risks of mycotoxins were considered comparable to those of pesticides, heavy metals, microplastics and food additives. We observed, in general, a relatively high degree of compliance with the proposed golden rules. The rules with the highest compliance related to deteriorated foods with visible signs of fungal infestation, probably because these are already considered as food waste. Rules that were less followed included those that require a specific knowledge of food storage and early fungal contamination stages, namely preventive measures related to storage of bread. Adherents of food movements did not differ significantly with the control group in terms of knowledge, risk perception and compliance with the 17 golden rules. This may be due to the homogeneity of the cohort in terms of demography, age and educational level. However, significant low compliance in the food movements group was observed with the rules “Buy fruit and vegetables that are as intact as possible, i.e., without injuries and bruises” and “Rotten fruit should neither be eaten nor further processed into compote or jam”, possibly because of ideological convictions around reducing food waste. In conclusion, mycotoxin prevention strategies should not end at the retail level; in particular, clarification and information regarding health risk from mycotoxins are suggested in order to reduce the risk of exposure in private households or in informal trade markets. The results of this study should, however, be interpreted with caution due to the specific characteristics of the cohort in terms of age and educational level and the disparity in size between the control and the food movement group. This study is a starting point for evaluating and understanding the consumer perspective on mycotoxins.

A review of Canadian and international food safety systems: Issues and recommendations for the future

In January 2019, the Safe Food for Canadians Act/Safe Food for Canadians regulations (heretofore identified as SFCR) came into force across Canada and brought a more streamlined process to food safety practice in Canada. Food trade and production processes have evolved rapidly in recent decades, as Canada imports and exports food products; therefore it is critically important to remain aware of the latest advances responding to a range of challenges and opportunities in the food safety value chain. Looking through the optics of the recent SFCR framework, this paper places the spotlight on leading domestic and international research and practices to help strengthen food safety policies of the future. By shedding some light on new research, we also draw attention to international developments that are noteworthy, and place those in context as to how new Canadian food safety policy and regulation can be further advanced. The paper will benchmark Canada through a review study of food safety best practices by juxtaposing (i) stated aspirations with, (ii) actual performance in leading Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) jurisdictions.