Sampling, testing methodologies, and their implication in risk assessment, including interpretation of detection limits

One of the most important actions related to the prevention of foodborne diseases and implemented by all food industries with the aim of protecting the health of consumers is the continuous control of food pathogens and other microbial indicators in food products. Analytical determinations of the presence of pathogens in food serve to find a relationship between production systems and their level of food safety. This chapter focuses on addressing a problem often related to the design of food tests and the interpretation of results that aim to achieve an optimal assessment of the safety of commercially marketed foods. The intention is to show what food sampling consists of, to deepen on the existing analytical methodologies with an industrial perspective, and to present a simple statistical approach using examples which will help in the decision making of food companies concerned about the safety of the products they produce and wanting to perform well in their analytical costs.