Development of a Web-based Tool for Assessing and Managing Microbial Risk in Minimally Processed Vegetables and Ready-to-Eat Meat Products

Introduction: Ready-to-eat meat products and minimally-processed vegetables are of growing importance in Europe as much as it is in the US. These types of food should be among the most relevant in order to be submitted to risk assessment, as they are widely spread, and its safety could be compromised, since scientific and epidemiologic evidence has shown that this type of foods can be contaminated by pathogens coming from primary production or the factory environment (cross-contamination or recontamination).

Purpose: The aim of this project was to develop a computer tool, easy to use by risk assessors and managers, to estimate and mitigate microbial risk in minimally-processed vegetables and ready-to-eat meat products.

Methods: The methodology used to develop the web-based tool was based on the risk assessment framework and comprised 6 phases: 1) hazard identification; 2) modeling processes along farm-to-table chain with a flexible structure by means of predictive and/or stochastic models; 3) characterization of identified hazards; 4) development of a model for risk characterization; 5) proposal and implementation of risk management measures; and 6) development of a computer tool involving the results of the previous objectives, and easy to use and interpret. For vegetables, the development was greatly benefited by the experience gained through a US research project. (“Systems Approach to Minimize Escherichia coli O157:H7 Food Safety Hazards”) in which different mitigation strategies were studied for E. coli O157:H7.

Results: The design of the tool was based on an object-oriented approach, which enables to design specific food processes by combining 4 basic events: bacterial transfer, survival, growth, and inactivation. With this tool, assessors and managers are able to introduce data which are usually confidential (e.g., prevalence and concentration of pathogens in foods from official analyses), and obtain a final estimate of the risk. Besides this, it is also possible to select different management measures by applying a scenario analysis and to know their impact on risk mitigation.

Significance: The realization of this project represents a decisive advance in the assessment and management of safety of these type of foods in Europe and the US, demonstrating transparency with scientific basis in making decisions.