Risk assessment for infectious foodborne diseases: a priority with problems.

Quantitative risk assessment is a procedure that can be applied to infectious foodborne diseases to develop effective and efficient risk-based food safety programs. It consists of four steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Once hazards have been identified and their risks characterized, this information must be clearly disseminated to the public to facilitate productive policy debate. Increased use of this process in the formulation of food safety policy would help create solid, scientifically justifiable programs offering the greatest public health protection at the lowest cost.