Salmonella in Egg Production in Finland – a Quantitative Risk Assessment

Since 1995, the Finnish Salmonella Control Programme (FSCP) has been monitoring Salmonella infection in egg production. This risk assessment examines the risk to consumers of Salmonella infection from shell eggs in Finland, and evaluates the effects of the interventions mandated by the Salmonella Control Programme on this
risk. This risk assessment covers the commercial egg production chain from primary production through consumption, and is limited to internally-contaminated eggs.This assessment focuses on 2001, the last year for which complete surveillance data was available when work was begun. The number of estimated human Salmonella cases is based on data from 1999, however, since this year had the highest rates of detected Salmonella in egg production flocks since the inception of the FSCP and thus represents a “worst case” scenario. This risk assessment is based on FSCP data, surveys of consumers and institutional kitchens, as well as on other available data.
For additional information, please contact:
Senior Researcher Jukka Ranta, tel. +358 20 77 24024, email jukka.ranta@evira.fi