Risk assesments

Food companies are required to follow the accepted model by the Codex Alimentarius which involves the following procedures:
• Hazard Identification: the identification of known or potential health effects associated with a particular agent.
• Assessment: the qualitative or quantitative evaluation of the degree of intake likely to occur.
• Hazard Characterisation: the qualitative or quantitative evaluation of the nature of the adverse effect associated with the hazard.
• Risk Characterisation: the integration of hazard identification, hazard characterization and exposure assessment into an estimate of the risk and its associated uncertainties.

The risk management recalls food products of affected batches. Instead of only rejecting a single batch, the food company must also take into consideration of possibility of the same problem or type of contamination occurring in different package sizes of the same line, in product with a different use by date, in a different product line all together or same or similar product packaged under a generic label. The plan must ensure that the new batches do not result in the same problems.

If recall actions are to be taken, it should be the following:
• Within the Company
• Regulatory authorities/NZFSA
• Distribution Chain
• Distributors
• Wholesalers
• Retailers
• Caterers
• Consumers