Risk management

Risk Management of Game
From theory to practice
“Game Meat Hygiene in Focus”
Brno, Czech Republic, 18th-19th June, 2009
Milorad Radakovic BVSc, Cert VPH(MH), MRCVS
Veterinary Adviser
Food Standards Agency, United Kingdom
FSA - Non-ministerial Government Department
When? Why? Who?What? How?
open
- consumer first
UK’s CCA for food/feed
The Board
Chairman, Deputy Chair and 12 other members
Local authority
enforcement
Headquarters
London
Meat Hygiene Service
York and throughout GB
FSA Scotland
Aberdeen
FSA Wales
Cardiff
FSA Northern Ireland
Belfast
Dard in licensed premises
Expert committees
ACMSF, ACNFP,SACN
Definitions..
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002
‘risk’ means a function of the probability of an adverse
health effect and the severity of that effect, consequential
to that hazard;
‘risk management’ means the process, distinct from risk
assessment, or weighing policy alternatives in consultation
with interested parties, considering risk assessment and
other legitimate factors, and, if need be selecting
appropriate prevention and control options;
Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 defines :
‘wild’ ungulates and lagomorphs, as well as other land
mammals that are hunted for human consumption and are
considered to be wild and are considered to be wild under
the applicable law in the Member State concerned,
including mammals living in enclosed territory under
conditions of freedom similar to those of wild game.’
‘farmed’ “farmed ratites and farmed land mammals”
Further definitions..
e.g. incident
‘any event where, based on the information
available, there are concerns about actual or
suspected threats to the safety or quality of food
that require intervention to protect consumers’
interest’
Food Incidents Task Force’ Preventing and responding to Food Incidents – Mar 2007
e.g. impact
‘an effect or influence’
One of the ‘Oxford Dictionaries’
and “small/large” wild game etc. etc.
‘Risk’ terminology
Negligible
So rare that it does not merit to be
considered
Very low
Very rare but cannot be excluded
Low
Rare but does occur
Medium
Occurs regularly
High
Occurs very often
Very high
Events occur almost certainly
Examples from (OIE, 2004; EFSA, 2006):
Definitions
in various Dictionaries/Regulations/Directives/Guides etc..
“food”“audit”, “verification” “official control” “inspection” “approved”
“risk analysis/assessment/management/communication” “farmed”
“wild” “approved” “registered” “hazards” PTDI, PTWI etc………
• when they suit us
•
when they don’t
To define or not define?
Hazards in game
may be in/on live animals, or in/on meat
Biological (some examples)
Salmonella serotypes, Campylobacter spp, Clostridiums species (perfringens), Listeria, Enterohaemoragic
Escherichia Coli O157, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Chlamydia, Brucella,
Mycobacterium bovis/avium, aflatoxin, some viruses, yeasts, fungi, parasites ( trichinella) etc………
Chemical (some examples)
Residues of antimicrobials, antıectoparasıtıcs, pesticides, heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium,
mercury…),other environmental chemicals (dioxins), hormones or hormone like substances, mycotoxins etc…
Physical
Foreign bodies (bone, glass, metal, plastic)
All potential, but which are significant?
Which are realistic?
Consequences for public health?
How we know about hazards?
It is not easy – hazards are not visible unless
symptoms and/or lesions observed
• Surveillance,
Epidemiological reports etc.
How our mind works?
• We know
• We do not know
• We suspect
Be reasonable
“ The reasonable man adapts himself
to suit the world, while the unreasonable
man seeks to adjust the world to suit him.
Therefore all progress depends on the
unreasonable man.”
George Bernard Shaw
Man and Superman
photo from Wikipedia
Game handling establishments
GHE
Butcher shops
Registered -Regs 852
Approved, Regs 853
Larders,
Collection centres
Registered
Supermarkets
Registered
Final consumers
Hunting
‘Every day’ risk management
Approved food chain
1. GHP and HACCP – means procedure (s) based
on HACCP principles. Principles – Hazards that
must be Prevented Eliminated or Reduced to
Acceptable levels
2. Official control e.g. inspection
Unapproved food chain?
Hazards and Risks From Wild
Game
FSA asked the VLA to make “A Qualitative
Risk Assessment”
“Under current UK law, what is the risk to
human health (particularly of human
infection with a foodborne pathogen) from
the handling/consumption of wild game meat
and how would the currently proposed EU
hygiene proposal affect the risk”
Generic framework for risk management
Preliminary risk
management activities
Monitoring
and
review
Identification
and selection of risk
management
options
Implementation
of risk
management decision
WHO ( FAO) Food safety risk analysis a guide for national authorities – Rome 2006
Preliminary risk management activities
• Identify food safety issue
• Develop risk profile
• Establish goals of risk management
• Decide on need for risk assessment
• Establish risk assessment policy
• Commission risk assessment, if
necessary
• Consider results of risk assessment
• Rank risks, if necessary
Ptarmigan
Identification and selection of risk
management options
• Identify possible options
• Evaluate options
• Select preferred option (s)
Monitoring and review
Implementation of risk
management decision
• Validate control (s) where
necessary
• Implement selected
control (s)
• Verify implementation
• Monitor outcomes of control (s)
• Review control (s) where indicated
You are here – moving from
theory to practice
Perception may be different!
• “normal or abnormal”, “fit or unfit”, “safe or not
safe”, “clean or not clean”, “adequate or not
adequate”, “risky or not risky”…….
‘Risk management’ – an example
from Croatia
• Positive findings of
heavy metals (lead,
cadmium, mercury) in
wild boar and deer in
some parts of Croatia
• Perceptions &
Evidence
Finding answers to simple questions!
One day workshop (multidisciplinary)
Simple logical questions. Some are:
• Can the product be sold? Is the problem local?
seasonal? Which products are affected? Who eats
the food? Are people ill? or might they become
ill? IMMEDIATE ACTION!
• Estimate intake of contaminant? Compare intake
with toxicology standard e.g. PTWI
• Who eats contaminated products (adults?
children? how much? how often? local
populations? hunter’s family?
• National /international trade? etc.etc.
Answers will determine the actions
• IMMEDIATE ACTION
• TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT
• SOLVE THE PROBLEM OR WORK
AROUND IT
e.g. Ban Hunting – What times? What area? Which
animals? Remove offal, Consumer advice to
reduce consumption or any combination of the
above, or no action required
Which option to use?
Which are practical?
Is the action proportionate?
Costs
• to put into practice e.g. testing, inspection,
control
• cost to those affected e.g. employment; other
sources of meat
Consultation: Is the solution acceptable?
• to public
• to business
• are other options available
Communication is essential
Managing risks in game
guaranteeing “safe food production”
aiming to guarantee “safe food”
Who?
Everyone individually from “production to
consumption” including legislators, CA, industry,
consumers, scientists and jointly
(multidisciplinary approach)
When?
Whenever dealing with game in the context of
environment, hunting, production, distribution and
consumption – proactively/reactively
Where
At each stage of production from environment to
consumption
Managing risks in game
guaranteeing “safe food production”
aiming to guarantee “safe food”
How?
Acting responsibly i.e. by fulfilling legal and
professional obligations whether as FBO or
official controller, scientist, communicator etc.
Evidence based decisions
Why?
We are all consumers - Morally, ethically,
legally obliged towards ourselves/family/most
vulnerable (children/old/sick/pregnant etc.)
In summary and in simple language
Risk management
• cannot be seen in isolation from risk assessment
and risk communication
• although formally done by officials it is
everyone’s responsibility from production to
consumption
• some commonalities but each case is different
Some challenges
- defining and achieving objective (s) by using
understandable language
- managing expectations, and many more