Vose Risk Consulting - Human Health

Industries

Food safety & Human Health

What are the epidemiological pathways a pathogen from animal source can be transferred to humans?
What is the risk to public health due to increasing antimicrobial resistance?
What are the emerging food safety issues and how to deal with them
What microbial risk reduction strategies can produce a significant reduction in human health impact?
How much of human health impact from a pathogen can be attributed to each source

The systems of producing food and beverages for human consumption are fraught with numerous operational challenges and risks. These questions and many more related to food and beverage manufacturing can be supported using quantitative risk analysis and optimization techniques.

In addition to operational challenges, the food and beverage industry has the additional concern of food safety and animal health. In particular, hazards such as microbial risks, contamination risks and disease risks and well as regulatory requirements must be addressed. Vose Risk Consulting has extensive expertise in microbial risk analysis and antimicrobial risk analysis and our experts are recognized worldwide leaders in the area of microbial and antimicrobial risk analysis.

We have successfully completed projects in both, the private and public sector, which gives us a unique vision of the issues that affect the world of Food Safety.

Clients

Department of Agriculture and Food, Australia
MAFF, New Zealand
VLA, UK Groupe Danone, France
EFSA ECDC
US FDA, Washington DC, USA
USDA, Washington DC, USA

Example Projects

ANTIMICROBIAL RISK ASSESSMENT

Problem and solution

Given concerns about human risk from antibiotic-resistant bacteria from using antibiotics in animals, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was faced with the question of whether to continue to allow use of fluoroquinolones in poultry. Vose Risk Consulting produced a robust and unique risk assessment reflecting the specific qualities of resistance determinants in Campylobacter which lead to FDAs decision to withdrawal of approval of the antimicrobial in poultry. The decision was challenged in court and Vose Risk Consulting helped successfully defend the risk assessment.

Quotes

“FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine has used Vose Risk Consulting’s services repeatedly over the last several years for providing risk assessment and modeling courses to our scientists, antimicrobial resistance risk assessments, presenting the data and models to the animal pharmaceutical industry and the public, serving as an expert witness in a court case and reviewing other expert witness testimony, and helping the Center develop a scientifically defensible approach to regulating antimicrobials used in food animals considering resistance concerns. Perhaps most valuable to FDA was David's contribution as leading a team of lawyers and scientists in support of the Center's efforts to remove approval for an antimicrobial used in food animals. David's unique value in the very broad field of biostatistics and risk assessment is his ability to explain highly technical concepts so that nonscientists can not only understand the issues but engage in interpretative discussions. FDA honored David with the Commissioner's Special Citation award, the highest award given to persons outside the FDA.”

Linda Tollefson, DVM, MPH
Assistant Commissioner for Science
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Industries

Energy & Utilities

Epidemiology / Animal Health