Into the Jungle of Biological Agents of Foodborne Diseases: Time to Put Some Order for the French Risk Manager.

Consumers can be exposed to many foodborne biological hazards that cause diseases with varying outcomes and incidence and, therefore, represent different levels of public health burden. To help the French risk managers to rank these hazards and to prioritize food safety actions, we have developed a three-step approach. The first step was to develop a list of foodborne hazards of health concern in mainland France. From an initial list of 335 human pathogenic biological agents, the final list of "retained hazards" consists of 24 hazards, including 12 bacteria (including bacterial toxins and metabolites), 3 viruses and 9 parasites. The second step was to collect data to estimate the disease burden (incidence, Disability Adjusted Life Years) associated with these hazards through food during two time periods: 2008-2013 and 2014-2019. The ranks of the different hazards changed slightly according to the considered period. The third step was the ranking of hazards according to a multicriteria decision support model using the ELECTRE III method. Three ranking criteria were used, where two reflect the severity of the effects (Years of life lost and Years lost due to disability) and one reflects the likelihood (incidence) of the disease. The multicriteria decision analysis approach takes into account the preferences of the risk managers through different sets of weights and the uncertainties associated with the data. The method and the data collected allowed to estimate the health burden of foodborne biological hazards in mainland France and to define a prioritization list for the health authorities.

Control of Biological Hazards in Insect Processing: Application of HACCP Method for Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Powders.

Entomophagy has been part of human diets for a long time in a significant part of the world, but insects are considered to be a novel food everywhere else. It would appear to be a strategic alternative in the future of human diet to face the challenge of ensuring food security for a growing world population, using more environmentally sustainable production systems than those required for the rearing of other animals. Tenebrio molitor, called yellow mealworm, is one of the most interesting insect species in view of mass rearing, and can be processed into a powder that ensures a long shelf life for its use in many potential products. When considering insects as food or feed, it is necessary to guarantee their safety. Therefore, manufacturers must implement a Hazard Analysis Critical Control plan (HACCP), to limit risks for consumers' health. The aim of this case study was to develop a HACCP plan for Tenebrio molitor larvae powders for food in a risk-based approach to support their implementation in industry. Specific purposes were to identify related significant biological hazards and to assess the efficiency of different manufacturing process steps when used as Critical Control Points. Then, combinations of four different processes with four potential uses of powders by consumers in burger, protein shake, baby porridge, and biscuits were analyzed with regard to their safety.