A primer on risk assessment modelling Focus on seafood products FAO Fisheries technical paper Series, Vol. 462

This paper is written as an introduction to the concepts of microbial risk assessment in general, but with a seafood focus and greater emphasis on the quantitative approach. The risk of food-borne disease is a combination of the likelihood of exposure to the pathogen, the likelihood of infection or intoxication resulting in illness and the severity of the illness. In a system as complex as the production and consumption of food, many factors affect both the likelihood and severity. To manage food safety effectively, a systematic means of examining these factors is necessary.