The Chilled Food Association (CFA) has launched a revised second edition of its Microbiological Guidance for Produce Suppliers to Chilled Food Manufacturers, aimed at growers and suppliers of fresh, frozen and dehydrated produce.
The new advice aims to minimise food-safety risks by focusing on the use of risk assessment and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) in the field.
It provides clear guidance on the main microbial food-safety hazards and their controls, particularly in relation to produce that is to be minimally processed and eaten without being cooked.
The revised edition addresses all the key control areas, including risk assessment, traceability, hazards and their control in growing, harvesting and handling, packhouse and postharvest handling, sampling, test methods, targets and tolerances, and interpretation of results.
The document takes a risk assessment approach, with information provided on relative risks of various water sources, irrigation methods, crop types and uses.
It also now includes a return-to-work questionnaire for food handlers and information on the key requirements of the legislation (2073/2005/EC) from a fresh produce perspective.
The new guidelines are available, for £50, from the CFA website - www.chilledfood.org.
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