Governmental risk managers may choose to implement
specific risk management measures (standards,
microbiological criteria, hygiene code, labelling, education,
etc.) in addition to an FSO. Such measures may
be relevant to all or the majority of supply chains so they
should be included in all cases. Alternatively, such measures
may be essential additions to the target withoutwhich the ALOP may not be met. Importantly, the FSO
is just one of the options to give guidance to food safety
management the expected management of risks. As
there are often many links in a food supply chain it
may be necessary to establish or define several operational
targets along the chain that help ensure that the
chain as a whole operates to meet the FSO at consumption.
It is evident thus, that close collaboration of all
stakeholders in the chain is required to achieve that
common goal. All stakeholders should share due
responsibility related to their ‘‘span-of-control’’ in the
chain. They all need to understand how to relate their
food safety management activities to that of the whole
chain, i.e. how to come to an integrated management
of the food supply chain.