ABSTRACT
Modern food safety systems are increasingly risk-based. Central to the risk-informed framework are risk analysis and burden of disease estimates, providing the foundation for decision making and allocation of resources. According to the Codex Alimentarius, risk is defined as “a function of the probability of an adverse health effect and the severity of that effect, consequential to a hazard(s) in food”. Many risk assessment studies, however, have used basic risk metrics, such as the probability of infection or the probability of illness. In this chapter, we discuss more comprehensive risk metrics, such as summary measures of population health that quantify the intangible costs of foodborne disease and monetary metrics that quantify the costs to households, industry, and the public sector. A key use of these metrics is the support of priority setting within the food safety system. As the literature on comprehensive risk metrics continues to evolve, the efficiency of decisions made will improve, and all stakeholders will be better served.
Key words: Burden of disease; burden of illness; cost-of-illness; disability-adjusted life years; foodborne disease; quality-adjusted life years; risk ranking; risk-benefit assessment; summary measures of population health; willingness to pay.
