Autor(es):
Viegas, Silvia 
; Machado, Claudia ; Dantas, M.Ascenção ; Oliveira, Luísa
Data: 2011
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/457
Origem: Repositório Científico do Instituto Nacional de Saúde
Assunto(s): Segurança Alimentar; Avaliação do Risco
Descrição
Aims: To expand the Portuguese Food Information Resource Programme (PortFIR) by building the Portuguese Food Microbiological Information Network (RPIMA) including users, stakeholders, food microbiological data producers that will provide data and information from research, monitoring, epidemiological investigation and disease surveillance. The integration of food data in a national database will improve foodborne risk management.
Methods and results
Potential members were identified and invited to participate in RPIMA. Currently the network has 82 members covering activity areas like food production, trade, risk assessment, research and education. RPIMA’s goals are to a) collect food microbiological information produced in different contexts, b) standardize and analyse it and c) make it available to national and international users. Two thematic working groups (WGs) were defined through a brainstorming meeting with experts of all food chain: “Food Chain Microbiological Occurrence” and “Foodborne Outbreaks” whose reference terms are being developed. The Reference Terms of already existing WGs from PortFIR-Portuguese Food Composition Network (“Users”, “Organization and Transfer of Information” and “Support to Standardization Work”) are being revised to be transversal to the both networks.
Conclusions
The results obtained so far regarding involvement and willingness to share data and knowledge with the national database indicate that RPIMA will allow to 1) monitor food microbiological occurrence, 2) biotrace foodborne outbreaks, 3) detect antibiotic resistance emergence, 4) provide scientific evidence for risk management, good hygiene practices and optimization of HACCP systems 5) assess the impact of risk management decisions, 6) evaluate climate change impact and 7) identify information gaps for further research.
Significance of study
RPIMA will provide scientific evidence for risk management and protection of public health through the sharing of data, knowledge and resources. It will allow centralizing, harmonising, analysing and disseminating microbiological data and information essential to improve food safety.
