Includes links to a variety of microbiological standards, guidelines, and specifications developed by government agencies and industry. Also includes links to resources related to developing and interpreting microbiological criteria in food.
Microbiological Standards and Guidelines
A Guide to Calculating the Shelf Life of Foods - Information Booklet for the Food Industry
New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
Shelf-life guide that covers regulations, influencing factors, and determination methods with examples. The appendix contains examples of standard plate count (SPC) for various ready-to-eat foods.
Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM)
DHHS. Food and Drug Administration.
Collection of procedures utilized for pathogen detection in food and cosmetic products. General guidelines and procedures and methods for detection of specific pathogens, microbial toxins, foodborne pathogens and other pathogens are discussed.
Commission Regulation On Microbiological Criteria For Foodstuffs (PDF | 171 KB)
Food Standards Agency.
Document that outlines regulations regarding microbiological criteria in food. Includes food safety criteria, microbiological limits for pathogenic bacteria and aerobic plate counts (APC), process hygiene criteria, and rules for sampling and preparation of test samples.
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
USDA. Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) provides impartial, scientific advice to federal food safety agencies.
Guidelines for Environmental Health Officers On The Interpretation of Microbiological Analysis Data of Food (PDF | 97.7 KB)
Department of Health (South Africa).
Describes the microbiological hazards related to food. Addresses indicator organisms, food borne pathogens, and current regulation.
Guidelines for the Microbiological Examination of Ready-To-Eat Foods
Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Describes standard plate count, indicators, pathogens, and categories of microbiological acceptability for microbiological examination.
ICMSF Recommended Microbiological Limits for Seafoods
University of California, Davis.
A chart of microbiological aerobic plate count and pathogen limits for the various sea foods. Also provides the reservoirs appropriate for test sampling.
International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods: Publications
International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods
Provides book references, articles and papers, presentations, and software downloads from the ICMSF that produces science-based guidance to government and industry on appraising and controlling the microbiological safety of foods.
Microbiological Guidelines for Ready-to-eat Foods (PDF | 31 KB)
Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Centre for Food Safety.
A technical document that describes the responsibilities of the expert panel and explicitly sets the microbiological limits of aerobic colony count, E. coli, and nine specific pathogens of ready-to-eat foods.
Model Code for Produce Safety
Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO).
A science based regulatory framework to address the production of all fruits and vegetables, while maintaining the flexibility to appropriately address specific commodities of higher concern to assist the regulatory community in development of a nationally integrated food safety system.
Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods
Food and Agriculture Organization.
Gives guidance on the establishment and application of microbiological criteria for foods at any point in the food chain from primary production to final consumption.
Standards And Guidelines For Microbiological Safety Of Food - An Interpretive Summary
Provides the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and all interested parties a reference of the current regulatory standards, guidelines and their associated methods developed and/or evaluated by the Health Products and Food Branch.