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Risk Profiles - An Introduction

NZFSA science strategy statement

Commissioning of risk profiles for priority hazard/food combinations are a key activity in the implementation of a generic framework for managing risks by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA).

Development of risk profiles will generally be contracted to independent science providers, and the outcome will be peer reviewed by NZFSA and other interested parties to the extent practicable. Risk profiles are primarily intended to guide initial risk management activities in respect of a particular food safety issue and are not intended to represent NZFSA policy.

Description of a risk profile

A risk profile is a document that provides a summary of relevant information on a specific food safety issue (Risk profiles for the foods New Zealanders eat. Report FW00105. ESR 2000). Each profile is intended to be a tool that allows risks managers to make decisions about how to manage the food safety issue. The documents are primarily for use by NZFSA, but are also intended to be useful to the food industry, and others involved in food safety from a public health perspective. Risk profiling is also becoming part of an internationally accepted approach to risk assessment, under the auspices of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The food safety issue is defined as a hazard/food combination i.e. an individual hazard in a single food or food group. The information gathered for each profile is a combination of:

• Background information about the food and the hazard;
• Data specific to New Zealand about the risk from the hazard in that food;
• The international context.

To date, only microbiological hazards have been addressed.

The place of a risk profile in the risk management process is described in "Food Administration in New Zealand: A Risk Management Framework for Food Safety" (Ministry of Health/Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2000).

Figure 1 outlines the risk management process.

The four step process includes:

1. Preliminary risk management activities

• identification of the food safety issue
• establishment of a risk profile
• ranking of the food safety issue for risk management
• establishment of risk assessment policy
• commissioning of a risk assessment
• consideration of the results of risk assessment

2. Risk management option assessment

• identification of available risk management options
• selection of preferred risk management option
• final risk management decision

3. Implementation of the risk management decision

4. Monitoring and review.

The risk profile informs the overall process, and provides input into ranking the food safety issue for risk management.

Risk profiles also provide information relevant to risk management. Based on a risk profile, decisions are made regarding whether to conduct a quantitative risk assessment, or take action, in the form of gathering more data, or immediate risk management activity.

Further information on the international use of risk profiles can be found at the website concerning the meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene in early 2003.

http://www.codexalimentarius.net/ccfh35/fh03_01e.htm

 Figure 1 Risk Management Framework