For many aspects in our society, including microbial safety, many people tend to rely on technology and checks. These can help, but only if the fundaments are well laid.
The fundaments start with prerequisite aspects like basic hygiene and a good safety culture. In the next layer a good hazard identification is required, followed by other steps of HACCP*. The critical control points then need to be validated. If this is done, the critical limits in the process need to be monitored and if all this is alright, one can trust safety is in control. Still, it is often sensible to verify with testing against microbiological criteria. Sampling only verifies and does not give adequate certainty at all. We should realise that we feed thousands or even hundred thousands of people and if things go wrong it can have large impact. So our responsibility in providing food for many requires that we cannot become sloppy.
Yet sometimes things go wrong even if well controlled. Zero-Risk does not exist. But on the other hand things often go wrong because certain aspects of the fundaments are not under control. If things go as they should for a long time, people become less attentive or even lazy, and slowly control and attention weaken. One then forgets the importance of public health and the brand image. Too often, after a while basic hygiene is not well under control any longer. This should not happen.
If things do go wrong all kind of activities are started afterwards on investigating why the outbreak happened. Experts start to investigate the particularities of the organism like the virulence factors of the pathogen, its genome, its similarities and differences with other isolates, the prevalence etc.. An extensive risk assessment is carried out. But if the roof is leaking, repair that roof first! If the washing stations are not properly designed and used, fix those washing stations or motivate workers to use them. Certain activities are just distracting from the real issue. So, start at the bottom. If the basic hygiene is under control, HACCP is fully validated and in place, processing is perfectly within limits, the safety culture is top, then of course additional information and detailed biological and ecological information can be useful for further detective work. And then a quantitative risk assessment can provide useful insights. But first and foremost make sure the fundaments are solid. Do not trust or get hope from five negative samples or quick technical fixes, or be distracted by details.
by Prof. Marcel Zwietering, Wageningen University (NL)
Co-chair of the ILSI Europe Microbiological Food Safety Task Force
* Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points