Veterinary food hygiene in the year 2000: circumstances and needs.

A series of surveys was conducted among veterinarians engaged in food hygiene, public health, and/or preventive medicine practice. The objective was to identify the circumstances and needs in veterinary food hygiene for the year 2000. Circumstances were defined as the external factors that influence veterinary food hygiene (eg, perspectives, general technologic advances in society, social expectations). Needs were defined as the internal resources that are essential to the practice of veterinary food hygiene (eg, goals, evaluations, personnel, communications, technology). The results of the surveys could be useful in the design of innovations for veterinary food hygiene programs.