FAO and WHO are currently elaborating practical guidelines for exposure assessment of microbiological hazards in foods. The need for such guidelines has been highlighted in the work being undertaken by FAO and WHO on risk assessment of specific pathogen-commodity combinations and it is recognized that the reliable estimate of exposure represents one of the most challenging steps in risk assessment.

The guidelines cover the following areas, and will be published in 2007.

• Introduction
• The process of exposure assessment
• Modelling approaches
• Data for exposure assessment
• Dealing with data gaps
• Variability, uncertainty and sensitivity
• Quality Assurance in exposure assessment
• Communication in exposure assessment