Forty Years of Food Safety Risk Assessment: A History and Analysis

Theoretical and practical aspects of risk communication in food safety: A review study

Currently, food safety hazards have introduced as one of the most important threats to public health worldwide. Considering numerous crises in the field of food safety at global, regional, and national levels, and their impact on the physical and mental health of consumers, it is very vital to evaluate risk communication strategies in each country. Food safety risk communication (FSRC) aims to provide the means for individuals to protect their health from food safety risks and make informed decisions about food risks. The purpose of this study is to present FSRC as one of the key parts of risk analysis, its importance considering the prevalence of food contamination and recent crises related to food. Additionally, the stages of implementation of FSRC are mentioned. In FSRC, it is essential to comply with the principles and prerequisites. There are various strategies for FSRC nowadays. Different platforms for FSRC are rapidly evolving. Choosing and evaluating the appropriate strategy according to the target group, consensus of stakeholders, cooperation and coordination of risk assessors and risk managers have a significant impact in order to improve and implement FSRC.

Forty Years of Risk Analysis: A Scientometric Overview

Risk Analysis was first published in 1981, established with a vision to provide a platform for inquiry into fundamental risk-related concepts and theories, and to disseminate new knowledge about methods and approaches for identifying, analyzing, evaluating, managing, and communicating risk. The journal has also contributed significantly to a scientific understanding of specific risks related to human health and safety, engineering, ecological, and social systems. Published on behalf of the Society for Risk Analysis, the journal has become a leading platform over its 40-year history. Complementing recent celebratory overviews and perspectives on the evolution, achievements, and future challenges for Risk Analysis, this article presents a scientometric overview of the journal between 1981 and 2020. The study presents high-level insights in the journal publication trends and structure and trends in the leading countries/regions, institutions, and authors, in relation to their respective collaboration networks. Furthermore, the structure and evolution of research focus issues is analyzed, and highly cited publications are identified. The findings are primarily intended to provide high-level insights, which may be useful for early career academics and risk practitioners to understand the structure and development of the research domain, and its main contributors and topics, and for experienced researchers to reflect on the achievements and future developments.

Importance of non-pharmaceutical interventions in lowering the viral inoculum to reduce susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV-2 and potentially disease severity

Adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been highly variable across settings, particularly in the USA. In this Personal View, we review data supporting the importance of the viral inoculum (the dose of viral particles from an infected source over time) in increasing the probability of infection in respiratory, gastrointestinal, and sexually transmitted viral infections in humans. We also review the available evidence linking the relationship of the viral inoculum to disease severity. Non-pharmaceutical interventions might reduce the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection by reducing the viral inoculum when there is exposure to an infectious source. Data from physical sciences research suggest that masks protect the wearer by filtering virus from external sources, and others by reducing expulsion of virus by the wearer. Social distancing, handwashing, and improved ventilation also reduce the exposure amount of viral particles from an infectious source. Maintaining and increasing non-pharmaceutical interventions can help to quell SARS-CoV-2 as we enter the second year of the pandemic. Finally, we argue that even as safe and effective vaccines are being rolled out, non-pharmaceutical interventions will continue to play an essential role in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 transmission until equitable and widespread vaccine administration has been completed.