A risk-based approach is rapidly being incorporated into food safety systems. This can be attributed to the efforts of regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA's FSIS), and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Non-governmental organizations, such as the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), have aided in these efforts by developing requirements for food businesses.
This article examines food safety systems from a systematic, risk-based approach to allow the food safety practitioner to develop and improve food safety.