FAO Guide to Ranking Food Safety Risks at the National Level, 2020

Risk analysis is internationally accepted as a key component to support decision-making around food safety. Several countries have started implementing risk-based food safety systems. Central to the risk-based approach is an assessment of food safety risks. Food safety risk ranking is the systematic analysis and ordering of foodborne hazards and/or foods in terms of public health risks, based on the likelihood and severity of adverse impacts on human health in a target population. Risk ranking provides national food safety authorities with the scientific basis to make informed regulatory decisions; enhance disease surveillance; determine how food inspections are allocated; oversee inspection and enforcement of food safety efforts; inform the public of food safety threats; and continue to improve the safety of the foods produced and consumed in the country based on the public health impact of hazards and/or foods. The use of risk ranking to identify which food safety issues have the greatest public health impact facilitates objective, evidence-based, transparent decision-making and planning. (Source: document “Executive Summary”).