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Microbiological Criteria - an introduction

Microbiological Criteria - an introduction. Jens Kirk Andersen The National Food Institute Technical University of Denmark. No of human cases in Denmark:. Sampling Testing Made decision on the result. 4 pages that changed the world:. 1997:. Microbiological Criterion ( Codex, 1997) :

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Microbiological Criteria - an introduction

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  1. Microbiological Criteria- an introduction Jens Kirk Andersen The National Food Institute Technical University of Denmark

  2. No of human cases in Denmark:

  3. Sampling • Testing • Made decision on the result

  4. 4 pages that changed the world: 1997:

  5. Microbiological Criterion (Codex, 1997): • A criterion defining the acceptability of a product or a food lot, based on the absence or presence, or number of microorganisms including parasites, and/or quantity of their toxins/metabolites, per unit(s) of mass, volume, area or lot

  6. Microbiologicalcriteriumconsists of: • The microorganism • Analytical method • Sampling plan • Acceptable limit/limits • The food for which the criterion applies • The place in the food chain where it applies • Action on failure to meet the criterion Codex, 1997

  7. Codex, 1997: • Food safety is assured by GHP and HACCP • Microbiological criteria should be based on science • Developed in a transparent fashion • Meet the requirements for fair trade • Setting of Microbiological Criteria is a Risk Management task

  8. Application of MC (Codex, 1997): • Where no other more effective tools are available • When they are expected to improve the degree of protection offered to the consumer

  9. We realized that we were not performing according to this structured approach • We needed to re-think • New EU legislation was evolved

  10. Sampling uncertainty “Even if you search you shall not always find” Example: Testing 300 samples and finding all negative does not guarantee absence But evidence of prevalence is below 1% - with a probability of 0.95 Conclusion: You cannot rely on end-product testing MC should be used for verification of food safety control systems

  11. The purpose of an MC is to reduce the risk of the consumer 3 steps in this hierarchy: Step 1:Hygiene-based MC - Hygiene parameter, E. coli, TVC etc. Step 2: Hazard-based MC - Pathogenic microorganisms Step 3: Risk-based MC - Directly (mathematically) related to consumer risk – outcome

  12. EU microbiological criteria • Proces hygienecriteria • Hygiene parameters • 3-class plans • Reaction: Improvement of hygiene + review of HACCP • Relation to risk is weak

  13. EU microbiological criteria • Food safetycriteria • Pathogenicmicroorganisms • 2-class plans • Dramaticreactionwhen non-complience: • Withdrawal • Recall • Relation to risk is stronger

  14. Towards a risk-based approach: • Work has been going on for several years • The term “risk-based” is being used increasingly in Codex Committee on Food Hygiene

  15. There must be a link between the level of hazard in a food, and the risk for the consumer • Therefore it should be possible to translate the Level of Protection into a Microbiological Criterion

  16. ALOP Human FSO Meal/RTE PO Food Chain PO MC MC

  17. The missing link: • The transition from Performance Objective to Microbiological Criterion? • A challenge for years! • Two examples on how to do this is presented in by examples 5a and 5b

  18. Alternative approach The principle is simple: Take a sample Do the testing Use the result to model the risk Compare the risk to the average (baseline) risk Acceptability is defined by the relative risk An example on this approach is also being presented by example 4

  19. Thank you for your attention

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