Abstract
The concept of food safety objective has been proposed to provide a target for operational food safety management, leaving flexibility
in the way equivalent food safety levels are achieved by different food chains. The concept helps to better relate operational
food safety management to public health goals, i.e. to an appropriate level of protection. The FSO articulates the joint target of a
food chain, including all relevant links in that chain, and is common to all other food chains relevant to a pathogen/commodity
combination. Performance objectives and performance criteria are two new concepts proposed recently to complement that of food
safety objectives with respect to food safety control and control measures and process criteria regarding operational food safety
management. All concepts together help government to give guidance to food chains about the expected safety of food products
and at the same time help food chains to design their food production and food safety management systems such that there is
compliance with this expectation.
ILSI 2005. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.