This thesis explores the changes of food safety control system in the UK, the USA, Canada, the EU and South Korea over the last ten years to find lessons for the establishment of a food safety control system for Korea. The aim being to protect the consumer, for this purpose, we look at these changes at three levels: (1) Horizontal division of food safety responsibility at the central government, (2) The working relationship between scientists and policy makers, and (3) Vertical working relationship between central and local governments. This work is undertaken by comparative perspective with multiple case studies. The ideas and concepts of New Public Management and Risk Analysis help us to understand those changes. Research methods are semi-structured interviews, documentary analysis, participatory observation and literature survey and emailing. The main findings of the study are: At the central government level, fragmented, ill-coordinated, unclear responsibility, dual and multi roles of food authorities matters, therefore new single agency has been created in the UK, the EU and Canada. The division of food safety responsibility between central and local government varies but increasingly the partnership is required to cope with food risks. The changes of food safety control system have been motivated by various reasons and resulted in different organizational settings but the principles and values such as mission clarification, more accountability, independency, transparency, participatory decision making, and even and consistent food law enforcement are all emphasized in the reform of food safety control system. The similarities help us to find general principles in dealing with scientifically uncertain food risks and differences help us to build organizational and instrumental arrangements reflecting different political, administrative and historical situations for the establishment of more efficient and effective food safety control system.

This thesis describes how emerging food industries can effectively and actively engage in the development of food safety regulations and standards at national and international levels. This research problem is illuminated through an understanding of the roles of actors, their networks and knowledge sources as a 'system' for developing, negotiating and defending food safety regulations and standards, and how these change over time. Whether distinct stages can be identified, and if so, what the characteristics of the 'system' at these stages are, is also explored.

This research project investigates the development processes, practices and outcomes of 'Safer Food Better Business' (SFBB) - a project initiated by the UK Food Standards Agency at Salford University. SFBB is an adaptation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) - the existing, internationally accepted food safety management methodology for food manufacturing - developed to ensure its use, utility and acceptance by the catering industry whilst achieving the standards of scientifically based risk management systems set by the UN Codex Alimentarius Committee.

Dans ce travail, un modèle d'appréciation quantitative des risques microbiens a été développé pour proposer des mesures de maitrise sanitaire et les relier à des métriques du risque. A partir d'observations réalisées dans un hôpital, nous avons pu caractériser le procédé de fabrication et de distribution de deux plats de boeuf en sauce, de manière à prédire l'évolution du danger Clostridium perfringens tout au long de ce procédé en utilisant les outils de la microbiologie prévisionnelle. Dans le modèle d'exposition, nous avons construit un modèle décrivant la germination puis la croissance de Clostri- dium perfringens pendant deux étapes du procédé, et un modèle décrivant la destruction thermique finale des cellules végétatives de Clostridium perfrin- gens. Ensuite, pour estimer un risque de diarrhée lié à la consommation de ces plats, nous avons construit un modèle dose réponse. De manière à pouvoir prédire la gamme des situations possibles, nous avons cherché à décrire, dans chacun des modèles, la variabilité de la réponse biologique modélisée en utilisant des données issues de méta analyse, obtenues dans des conditions variées. L'utilisation de l'inférence bayésienne sur des données issues de méta analyse nous a permis de décrire séparément variabilité et incertitude, suivant les recommandations des instances internationales. Des simulations de Monte Carlo à deux dimensions sur l'ensemble du procédé nous ont ensuite permis d'estimer le risque moyen de maladie lié à la consommation des plats et d'estimer l'incertitude sur ce risque moyen. Ces simulations nous ont aussi permis d'identifier deux étapes importantes pour la maitrise du risque et de proposer, pour chacune de ces étapes, des mesures de maitrise sanitaire, dont nous avons ensuite mesuré l'efficacité. / In this study, a quantitative risk assessment model was developed in order to propose control measures making it possible to reach some `risk based' targets. A survey, carried out in an hospital, made it possible to describe a food chain, from raw material until consumption, of two beef-in-sauce products, such as to predict the evolution of Clostridium perfringens along the whole process using predictive microbiology tools. In the exposure assessment model, we described Clostridium perfringens germination, outgrowth and growth in a first model, applied on two process steps, and final thermal inactivation of Clostridium perfringens vegetative cells in a second model. Then, in order to estimate the risk of diarrhea after the consumption of the two products, we established a dose response model. In order to predict in our model the full range of possible outcomes, we aimed at describing, in each proposed model, the variability on the modelled biological response using meta analysis data, obtained on various experimental conditions. Performing Bayesian inference on these published data, we separated variability and uncertainty, according to recommendations of international organizations. Second order Monte Carlo simulations on the whole process made it possible to estimate the mean risk of diarrhea after to the consumption of the products and to estimate the uncertainty on this median risk. Based on these simulations, two key steps for food safety were then identified in the process, leading us to propose, for each step, control measures and to measure their efficacy.