EPA, FSIS Release Guideline for Microbial Risk Assessment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Guideline for Microbial Risk Assessment: Pathogenic Microorganisms with Focus on Food and Water was published last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) . The document provides a common framework to perform microbial risk assessment (MRA), according to EPA.

The guideline lays out a flexible set of approaches, methods and tools for use to conduct microbial risk assessment and provide more transparency to the results, EPA said. The guideline addresses issues specific to microbial risk, such as secondary transmission, immune status, and growth and die-off organisms.

“This guidance contributes significantly to improving the quality and consistency of microbial risk assessments, and provides greater transparency to stakeholders and other interested parties in how federal agencies approach and conduct their microbial risk assessments,” Dr. Glenn Paulson, EPA Science Advisor, said in a statement released on July 31. “Based on the success of this project, we are seeking further opportunities to combine our technical expertise in our continuing efforts to protect the Americans’ health.”

Formal risk assessments for food, water and environmentally-relevant chemicals have been undertaken for decades, according to the EPA. However, an overarching microbial risk assessment guideline has not been available until now.

The full guideline can be read here.