A free publication to help food businesses of all sizes determine the shelf life of ready-to-eat foods has been published by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Chilled Food Association (CFA).

Shelf-life Guidance is designed to help businesses, from small food outlets to major food manufacturers, calculate an accurate safe time period that certain foods can be kept before they are eaten. The guide is also designed to help firms meet EU microbiology rules relating to the limits on micro-organisms in food.

Complex issues are explained in an easy-to-understand manner for staff at all levels of expertise. Real life examples are provided to show how the advice should be put into practice.

The BRC chaired a coalition of organisations that developed the guidance, including the CFA, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, LACORS, Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the UK National Reference Laboratory Services for Food Microbiology (Health Protection Agency) participating as an observer.

Sally Barber, BRC food policy executive, said: “Setting the right shelf life is essential for food safety. The guidance will help businesses of all sizes to calculate the correct food shelf life for their products and to meet European microbiology regulations. It’s a free publication, with easy-to-use explanations and common everyday examples. “

Liz Redmond, head of the hygiene and microbiology division at the FSA, said: “People need confidence in the safety of the food they buy; this guidance adds to the good work already being done by the food industry, CIEH and the FSA to achieve this. I hope businesses and enforcement officers will find this a useful addition to the range of food safety information available to them.”