A Delphi-based approach to developing and validating a farm food safety risk assessment tool by experts

A farm food safety risk assessment tool for fresh produce and salmon farms were developed and the Delphi-based approach was utilised to identify and aggregate the opinions of experts on the food safety hazards and diseases faced in the farms while simultaneously certifying the scientific contents of the tool. The expert panels also serve to validate the methodology used in the farm food safety risk assessment tool as well as to suggest for improvements. Three rounds of Delphi questionnaire were carried out and the process managed to solicit experts' agreement on the food safety hazards and diseases associated with UK's fresh produce and salmon farms and the topics used in the farm food safety risk assessment tool. The results and suggestions obtained from Delphi process were reviewed and subsequently adapted into the risk assessment tool. The Delphi-based technique has proven to be a valuable approach to aggregate multiple experts' opinions across diverse locations and achieves a wider distribution of experts.

[1]  T. Mikami,et al.  Salmonella arizonae isolated from a pirarucu, Arapaima gigas Cuvier, with septicaemia , 1987 .

[2]  M. Grundy,et al.  Research priorities in haemato-oncology nursing: results of a literature review and a Delphi study. , 2009, European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society.

[3]  F. Hasson,et al.  Research guidelines for the Delphi survey technique. , 2000, Journal of advanced nursing.

[4]  Anne Wingstrand,et al.  Differences and similarities among experts' opinions on Salmonella enterica dynamics in swine pre-harvest. , 2002, Preventive veterinary medicine.

[5]  F. Hasson,et al.  A critical review of the Delphi technique as a research methodology for nursing. , 2001, International journal of nursing studies.

[6]  L. L. Nesse,et al.  Persistence of orally administered Salmonella enterica serovars Agona and Montevideo in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). , 2005, Journal of food protection.

[7]  Samuel DiGangi,et al.  Assessing unidimensionality: A comparison of Rasch modeling, Parallel analysis, and TETRAD , 2007 .

[8]  L. L. Nesse,et al.  Salmonella in fish feed; occurrence and implications for fish and human health in Norway , 2007 .

[9]  J. Crisp,et al.  The Delphi method? , 1997, Nursing research.

[10]  Murray Turoff,et al.  The Delphi Method: Techniques and Applications , 1976 .

[11]  P. Howgate.  Review of the public heath safety of products from aquaculture , 1998 .

[12]  Carla K. Miller,et al.  Evaluation of a theory-based nutrition intervention for older adults with diabetes mellitus. , 2002, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[13]  L. Brown.  Aquaculture for veterinarians: fish husbandry and medicine , 1993 .

[14]  G. Marty.  Anisakid larva in the viscera of a farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) , 2008 .

[15]  Chia-Chien Hsu,et al.  The Delphi Technique: Making Sense of Consensus , 2007 .

[16]  Roy W. Malone,et al.  Development of Risk Assessment Matrix for NASA Engineering and Safety Center , 2004 .

[17]  E. D. van Asselt,et al.  Selection of critical factors for identifying emerging food safety risks in dynamic food production chains , 2009, Food Control.

[18]  S J van Gerwen,et al.  Stepwise quantitative risk assessment as a tool for characterization of microbiological food safety , 2000, Journal of applied microbiology.

[19]  C. Powell.  The Delphi technique: myths and realities. , 2003, Journal of advanced nursing.

[20]  S. O'Brien,et al.  Disease Risks from Foods, England and Wales, 1996–2000 , 2005, Emerging infectious diseases.

[21]  Arnout R. H. Fischer,et al.  Effective identification and management of emerging food risks: results of an international Delphi survey. , 2010 .

[22]  Ian Miles,et al.  Eliciting Experts' Knowledge: a comparison of two methods , 2006 .

[23]  R. Huirne,et al.  Improving food safety within the dairy chain: an application of conjoint analysis. , 2005, Journal of dairy science.

[24]  John Sumner,et al.  A simple, spreadsheet-based, food safety risk assessment tool. , 2002, International journal of food microbiology.

[25]  H. McKenna.  The Delphi technique: a worthwhile research approach for nursing? , 1994, Journal of advanced nursing.

[26]  Gwo-Jen Hwang,et al.  A Delphi-based approach to developing expert systems with the cooperation of multiple experts , 2007, Expert Systems with Applications.

[27]  R. Huirne,et al.  Improving Food Safety at the Dairy Farm Level: Farmers' and Experts' Perceptions , 2005 .

[28]  C. Little,et al.  The microbiological examination of ready‐to‐eat organic vegetables from retail establishments in the United Kingdom , 2001, Letters in applied microbiology.

[29]  T. Sumsion,et al.  The Delphi Technique: An Adaptive Research Tool , 1998 .

[30]  Gene Rowe,et al.  The views of key stakeholders on an evolving food risk governance framework: Results from a Delphi study , 2009 .

[31]  S. Henson.  Estimating the incidence of food-borne Salmonella and the effectiveness of alternative control measures using the Delphi method. , 1997, International journal of food microbiology.