Many Salmonella and Listeria outbreaks in recent years have been associated with cross-contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, after the cooking or decontamination step. Contamination in these foods is thus controlled by HACCP prerequisites, and may also be associated with the requirement for microbiological environmental sampling. RTE food manufactures are considering new prerequisite and environmental sampling models that are risk based and fulfill the requirements of U.S.- and EU-based legislation. This seminar will describe the work of Campden BRI and two global food manufactures in a new concept of prerequisite management. U.S. and EU factory studies have been initiated to determine the potential sources of microbial contamination (both harbourage sites and growth niches) and the vectors on which they could be transferred to food (air, solid and liquid contact). Once identified, controls for these sources and vectors are established and reviewed, such that potential contamination is reduced. Following HACCP principles of risk assessment to determine critical control points (CCP), the sources and vectors are risk assessed to determine those that are critical to the safety of the food, if controls should fail. Critical sources and vectors are described as Operational Prerequisites (OP) and control values, the validation, monitoring and verification of the controls, together with corrective actions and records etc. are established. Some of these controls and control values may involve the requirement for microbiological sampling, the results of which can directly be related to the risk of product contamination. Theoretical and practical approaches to this innovative risk assessment of operational prerequisites, that is applicable in the U.S. and Europe, will be presented.

Presentations