NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR FOODS
CONSIDERATIONS FOR ESTABLISHING SAFETY-
BASED CONSUME-BY DATE LABELS FOR
REFRIGERATED READY-TO-EAT FOODS
ADOPTED AUGUST 27, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 3
I.
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 5
II.
Purpose of the document ..................................................................................... 5
III.
History ................................................................................................................... 6
IV.
Hazard analysis ..................................................................................................... 9
Listeria monocytogenes ....................................................................................... 10
Yersinia enterocolitica ........................................................................................ 10
Psychrotrophic Clostridium botulinum ............................................................. 11
Bacillus cereus ..................................................................................................... 11
V.
Safety-Based Consume-By Date Labels Approaches and Formats ............... 11
VI.
Questions & Answers ......................................................................................... 12
1. What are the scientific parameters for establishing safety-based “use-
by” date labels for refrigerated RTE foods?................................................. 12
2. What effect do the multiple factors that influence the growth and
survival of L. monocytogenes, i.e., strain differences, food matrices,
production and distribution systems, consumer susceptibility, etc.,
have on the establishment of safety-based “use-by” date labels for
refrigerated