In recent years, new computing tools for food safety, quality assessment and for decision-making have been developed and made globally available by industry, academia, international organizations and governments. These new tools, usually free downloadable or web-based applications, cover a broad range of domains including the development and validation of sampling plans, the prediction of the behavior of microbes in food (predictive microbiology), and the development of probabilistic risk assessment and risk ranking models. This symposium draws upon speakers from international organizations, government, industry and academia to discuss common and specific needs regarding these tools. Practical applications of the currently available tools will be presented. Discussions on recent advances and existing gaps in data and modeling capacity will facilitate an open dialogue on the challenges and opportunities for development of future tools. It will also help determine what can be done to further improve these tools to meet the needs and expectations of industry and decision makers.

Presentations