Frans J.M. Smulders

John D. Collins

A considerable number of pre-harvest factors jeopardise the safety of foods of animal origin. These include factors related to the food animal environment (industrial activity in the immediate production surroundings leading to microbiological or chemical contamination), epidemiological factors resulting from intrinsic characteristics of classical and emerging microorganisms, an increasing degree of chemical pollution, husbandry / harvesting practices (particularly associated with animal feed), and veterinary activities introducing antibiotic resistancy of foodborne pathogens. All of these areas are addressed in this publication by scientists of worldwide repute and affiliated with both Academia and Industry. The involvement of Public Health strategians representing two most powerful tradeblocks (EU and USA) will be extremely important for the scientific community involved in Food Safety Assurance research, as the policies currently set out will inherently have severe impact on associated research strategies in the next decade.

Food safety assurance in the pre-harvest phase

Martin Rose

Ivonne M.C.M. Rietjens

The authorship of this book is comprised of a total of 65 experts of worldwide repute, originating from 13 different countries and representing various scientific disciplines such as human and veterinary medicine, agricultural sciences, (micro)biology, pharmacology/toxicology, nutrition, (food) chemistry and risk assessment science. In 25 chapters the various chemical hazards - 'avoidable' or 'unavoidable' and possibly prevailing in major foods of animal origin [muscle foods (including fish), milk and dairy, eggs, honey] - are identified and characterised, the public health risks associated with the ingestion of animal food products that may be contaminated with such xenobiotic chemical substances are discussed in detail, and options for risk mitigation are presented. This volume targets an audience with both an industry and academic background, and particularly those professionals who are (or students who aspire to become) involved in risk management of foods of animal origin.

Chemical hazards in foods of animal origin

For the veterinarian, monitoring and surveillance represent the best means of ensuring sustainable animal production at a time when consumer demands reflect awareness that many of the hazards associated with food animal production can be minimised or avoided through proper management at the primary production level. Preventive medicine and quality and safety assurance programmes are primarily based on knowledge of the existing strengths and weaknesses of the clients' enterprise and their ability to enact effective intervention measures. Accordingly, the food animal veterinarian relies upon effective monitoring of current performance and herd health status both for the purpose of maximising efficiency of production and providing an assurance that the primary food product meets required health standards in terms of freedom from those agents of concern that have their origin on the farm. These agents include foodborne parasites, pathogenic bacteria, some of which display a resistance to antimicrobial agents, contaminants of environmental origin, as well as chemical and pharmaceutical residues. The more successful these hazards are addressed at the farm, the better the quality and safety of the final product and their marketing possibilities will be. Communication between the primary producer and the food processing industry that facilitates real-time exchange of information on these issues is essential for the practice of preventive medicine at the herd and flock level. Integrated food chain quality and safety control programmes, when linked to such monitoring and surveillance principles in regard to both human and animal health, represent the means of achieving sustainable food animal production on a global scale, in line with the conclusions of WTO and EU. Volume 3 of the "Food Safety Assurance and Veterinary Public Health" series addresses this collaborative approach. Leading international experts from academia, industry and governmental institutions have been identified to deal with the various aspects of this collaborative approach in monitoring and surveillance.

Monitoring and Surveillance

Risk management strategies: monitoring and surveillance

Bo Algers

This book, the fifth in the series 'Food Safety Assurance and Veterinary Public Health', has been conceived by a total of 33 internationally recognised experts from 11 different countries in Europe and from the USA, Canada and Australia, with backgrounds ranging from veterinary medicine, animal science, biology and microbiology to psychology, philosophy and ethics. It provides an up-to-date overview of the science of animal welfare and its assessment, of options for the assessment and management of risks for the welfare of production animals, and of the ramifications these may have for the safety of foods of animal origin. This volume is targeted at veterinary practitioners, official veterinarians in a control function, animal and food scientists, welfare scientists, students in animal welfare, auditing and inspection officials and risk managers at all levels of animal production. Other publications in the Food Safety Assurance and Veterinary Public Health series are: * Volume 1. Food safety assurance in the pre-harvest phase * Volume 2. Safety assurance during food processing * Volume 3. Risk management strategies: monitoring and surveillance * Volume 4. Towards a risk-based chain control

Welfare of production animals: assessment and management of risks

Microbial agents (particularly bacteria) represent the greatest risk to public health. The traditional end-product oriented food inspection systems are inadequate for identifying and eliminating the usually symptomless animal carriers of agents causing foodborne infections and intoxications. Modern, risk-based, prevention approaches are the only effective way to reduce the prevalence of these hazards from our foods. As an additional 'safety-valve' microbial decontamination procedures are currently being suggested and its implementation in industrial food processing has, at least in some parts of the world, met with governmental approval. The residues in foods of some non-microbial agents have more recently also caused substantial consumer disquiet. This equally applies to non-conventional foods containing GMO's. In this publication these issues are addressed by invited expert scientists from various disciplines, many of which have key-positions in EU-funded research programmes on these very topics and/or are advisers to international public health bodies. The editors firmly believe that the very nature of the theme, the excellence of the papers and the holistic approach chosen will draw an audience from both an industry and academic background.

Frans J.M. Smulders

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