Risk Assessment Terms and Definitions

Risk assessment is the characterization of potential adverse effects of exposures to hazards, including estimates of the magnitude of the risk, the severity of outcome, and an indication of the uncertainties involved. Because risk assessments are based on statistical and other treatments of scientific data, the quality of such assessments is only as good as the data that go into their calculation. Sources of uncertainty include scanty and/or unrepresentative data, imprecise measuring devices, systematic flaws in the data collection process, variability in host response, and difficulties in the modeling process. Sources of uncertainty tend to be different for infectious and noninfectious hazards, which has led to the use of different risk assessment approaches. The ultimate goal in using risk assessment is to provide some objective estimate of risk that can be used by the food industry and regulatory agencies to assure that foods are acceptably safe. Public confidence in the risk-assessment technique will be won by its successful application and communication.