Description:
The concept of VITAL is the integrated monitoring and control of contamination of the European food supply chain by pathogenic viruses. VITAL has developed advance methods for virus detection throughout selected food supply chains from farm to market, to gather data on virus contaminations suitable for quantitative risk assessment.
Research objectives:
Food supply chains will be monitored for the presence of indicator virus commonly found in fecal contamination events. These viruses can be distinguished in strains of human or animal origin. Modelling tools will be developed to define the quantitative viral risks and to assess foodborne viral risk for determining high risk situations and efficacy of interventions. Modular process risk models will be developed to build up specific HACCP recommendations. Recent developments in risk assessment management will be evaluated for their use in reducing foodborne viral infections. Survival of viruses in foods will be modeled and disinfection procedures used in the food industry will be evaluated, to elucidate the critical points where virus contamination may be controlled. VITAL will disseminate its findings by producing guidelines on appropriate control practices, and communicate requirements necessary for establishing reliable monitoring of food production chains for viruses. VITAL will provide a framework for monitoring, risk modeling and procedure control of foodborne virus contamination in Europe, which will be applicable to any virus, existing or re-emerging, that poses the danger of being transmitted through food. Implementation of such a framework of preventive or pro-active virus contamination management will form a first line of defense against transmission of food borne viral diseases in Europe.
Results and products:
In the fisrt year of the project was mainly worked on the selection of food production chains for sampling, the organisation of logistics and the development of standard operating procedures (SOPS). At the end of 2008 food production companies have been described and SOPs were drafted. |
