An introduction to risk analysis and microbiological risk assessment

In this article, the concepts of microbiological risk analysis are presented as well as risk assessment following the Codex Alimentarius guidelines. Special attention is given firstly to the so-called infectious disease triangle between host, microorganism and foodstuff and secondly to different approaches of risk assessment in practice. The dynamic process of controlling risks is visualised and the importance of collecting and evaluating causal relations in “farm to fork”-risk assessment is strengthened.