As of January 2006, a new European Commission Regulation on microbiological criteria for food products is effective. All food businesses are to comply with the new microbiological criteria. This regulation lays down the microbiological criteria for certain microorganisms (among others Listeria monocytogenes) in Ready-To-Eat (RTE) foods. PURAC has a line of products and tools to help the food industry to meet the new criteria.

Because of the new legislation, all European food companies must take measures, like conducting studies, to ensure that all hygiene criteria are met throughout the production process and that food safety criteria are met throughout the shelf life of the product.

The new legislation implies that food companies have to conduct studies to investigate compliance with the new criteria throughout processing and shelf life. This implies studies on:

-         Specification for physico-chemical characteristics of the product, such as concentration of preservatives (e.g. lactates)

-          Consultation of available scientific literature and research data regarding relevant microorganisms

And if needed, additional studies like:

-         Predictive mathematical modeling

-         Tests to investigate the ability of the microorganisms of concern to grow or survive throughout shelf life.

PURAC’s lactic acid and lactates are effective food ingredients to, among others, control microorganisms in food products. Over the years PURAC has gained extensive knowledge and experience regarding shelf life and food safety for RTE products such as meat and poultry, salads, etc.

Based on its experience and knowledge, PURAC has developed several tools to assist food companies to comply with the new legislation. The Opti.form Listeria control model can be used to predict mathematically the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in meat and poultry products. Besides the model, a lot of research data on shelf life and food safety from our own research laboratories is available as well as scientific literature.