Information for Preliminary Risk Assessment
1. Historical data shows that these ingredients are not likely to be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms:
- Salt
- Sugar
- Chemical preservatives
- Food grade acidulents and leavening agents
- Gums and thickeners (some may be sensitive depending on origin; such as tapioca and fermentation-derived gums)
- Synthetic colors
- Food grad antioxidants
- Acidified high salt/acid condiments
- Most fats and oils (exception is dairy butter)
2. Based on historical data, ingredients that may be contaminated with pathogenic microoganisms:
- Meat and poultry
- Eggs
- Milk and dairy products
- Fish and shellfish
- Nuts and nut ingredients
- Spices
- Chocolate and cocoa
- Mushrooms
- Soy flour and related materials
- Gelatin
- Pasta
- Vegetables
- Whole grains and flour (secondary contamination)
- Yeast
- Dairy cultures
- Some colors and flavors from natural sources
3. National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food (U.S.A.)
This is a committee of experts that developed and approved a standardized HACCP system that is endorsed by Federal regulatory agencies in the U.S.
4. CCP stands for critical point control. This is a step at which control can be used to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or to reduce it to an acceptable level. Loss of control may result in an unacceptable health risk.
5. A barrier is defined as any factor that will inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Challenge testing is a carefully planned experiment in which the food product is inoculated with a variety of pathogenic bacteria at various inoculation levels and then held at abuse or ambient temperatures for the appropriate time. The food is then sampled throughout the holding time and tested for the numbers of bacteria present. Graphs of the number of bacteria over time for each type and level of bacteria inoculated at each holding temperature are studied and compared. The ability of the food product to support the growth of pathogenic bacteria is then determined