Food crisis scenario simulations improving food safety and security

Models and modeling software can support the improvement of food safety: By predicting the fate of contaminating bacteria, safety gaps in food production can be identified and input into guidelines for consumers can be provided, enabling decision makers to plan appropriate countermeasures. In this publication, it is described how the open-source software program FoodProcess-Lab enables users to perform simulations on contaminants intentionally or accidentally introduced into food processing chains. Part of this is the possibility to model the tenacity of microorganisms along the various steps of food processing chains. As a proof of concept, a contamination in the raw milk cheese production chain with Salmonella spp. was modeled.