Globalization of the food supply-food safety implications Special regional requirements: future concerns

The existence of regional differences in the prevalence of various food-borne pathogens in the food chain should be recognised and taken into account in the risk management process in international trade of foods. For the sake of human health protection and to minimise the incidence of food-borne disease it is important to acknowledge that acceptable risk levels for food-borne hazards will vary according to the regional microbiological conditions. This principle should be acknowledged by the relevant international bodies, such as the WTO and the Coder Alimentarius, and should be reflected in the elaboration of relevant international documents, such as risk management procedures in general and more specifically sampling plans and criteria. An acceptance of regional requirements may represent an incitement for the food industry to produce food products with a documented low prevalence of pathogens. Ultimately, this will benefit the consumers in all the countries by reducing the incidence of food-borne disease. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.