Freezing Technology

8.1.9 Hazard assessment

Severity:

 Severity is the magnitude of a hazard or the degree of consequences that can result when a hazard exists. Disease causing hazards can be categorized according to their severity. One system uses the categories of:

• High (life-threatening ) ex. include illness caused by C.botulinum, S.typhi, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli 0157 H7, V.cholerae, V. vulnificus, paralytic shell fish poisoning and amnesic shell fish poisoning.
• Moderate (severe or chronic) eg. include illness caused by Brucella sp. Campylobacter sp. Salmonella sp, Shigella sp, Streptococcus sp, Yersinia entrocolitica, hepatitis A virus, mycotoxins, Ciguatera toxin
• Low (moderate or mild) – ex. include illness caused by Bacillus sp. C.perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus. Norwalk virus, most parasites, histamine – like substances and most heavy metals that cause mild acute illnesses.

 Risk is a function of the probability of an adverse effect and the magnitude of that effect, consequential to a hazard(s) in food. Degrees of risk can be categorized as high (H), Moderate (M) low (L) & negligible (N).