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Background Microbiological food safety in Europe and the rest of the developed world is assessed in terms of acceptable levels of risk of humans contracting food-related illnesses. For certain pathogens such as Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) the acceptable level of risk may be as low as zero. Our food-supply chains whether international, national or local provide numerous opportunities from farm to fork for the contamination of food and water for human consumption. Given the enormous number and variety of potential contamination sources along the food processing chain, it is unrealistic to imagine that all food can be kept free from contamination throughout the process. However, it is now recognised that the most appropriate way to enhance food safety is to identify the critical contamination points affecting the safety of the final product. It should then be possible to introduce the most effective measures to minimise or eliminate the possibility of contamination from food production and processing to distribution, preparation and consumption. Advances in the twentieth century such as pasteurisation, refrigeration and more recent improvements in hazard analysis and control along the foodchain have contributed to improvements to the microbiological safety of most foods. Nevertheless, foodborne disease remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe and the rest of the developed world. A recent national surveillance study in England and Wales revealed that one in five people developed infectious intestinal disease each year, and that Campylobacter and Salmonella were the most common bacterial pathogens isolated
Short description of the task performed by Croatian partner