Risk-based Sampling: Perspective from CFSAN, USA

The safety of food is principally ensured by the effective implementation of scientifically valid preventive control measures throughout the food chain.  Nevertheless, risk-based sampling can play an important role in food safety systems.  Microbiological sampling and testing can be used to verify whether food operations are under control, to determine the acceptability of individual lots of food, and for other purposes, such as to gather baseline data, to inform traceback in epidemiological investigations, and to monitor environmental pathogens or indicators.  This presentation will describe criteria and data to consider in risk ranking to inform risk-based sampling.  As part of the FDA’s risk-based and preventive approach to food safety, which is at the core of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the agency has developed a new, more robust, surveillance sampling approach in the last several years. This presentation will highlight components of this new approach, including the types of sampling (e.g., product sampling, environmental sampling, and combinations thereof), the pathogens targeted, the number of samples, commodities sampled, recent sampling activities, and how data will be evaluated and shared to engage stakeholders throughout the process.  Risk-based sampling is part of FDA’s efforts to keep contaminated products from reaching consumers and to facilitate a greater understanding of hazards to minimize risks.