ABSTRACT
Food safety management systems have evolved from the surveillance-based approaches that considered reported foodborne disease statistics, surveillance of foods, food handlers, food-processing operations, and training and education. This evolution progressed to assessment of producer’s risk (chance that a product will cause foodborne disease in the marketplace) and assessment of hazards in the mid1970s. At the time, it was concluded that the only practical approach, with potential for immediate application, was hazard assessment that considered severity of the hazard and specifying adequate safety margins to minimize the hazard.
