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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
HACCP: Small and Very Small Plant Outreach
October 2003
A substance in or added to an RTE product that has the effect of reducing or eliminating a microorganism, including a pathogen such as L. monocytogenes, or that has the effect of suppressing or limiting growth of L. monocytogenes in the product throughout the shelf life of the product. Examples of antimicrobial agents added to RTE products are potassium lactate and sodium diacetate.
An operation, such as freezing, applied to an RTE product that has the effect of suppressing or limiting the growth of microorganism such as L. monocytogenes, in the product throughout the shelf life of the product.
A ready-to-eat meat or poultry product that typically is sliced, either in an official establishment or after distribution from an official establishment, and typically is assembled in a sandwich for consumption.
A ready-to-eat meat or poultry frank, frankfurter, or wiener, such as a product defined in 9 CFR 319.180 and 319.181.
A process, including the application of an antimicrobial agent, that eliminates or reduces the number of pathogenic microorganisms on or in a product to make the product safe for human consumption. Examples of lethality treatments are cooking or application of an antimicrobial agent or process that eliminates or reduces pathogenic microorganisms.
A ready-to-eat product that comes into direct contact with a food contact surface after the lethality treatment in a post-lethality processing environment.
The area of an establishment into which product is routed after having been subjected to an initial lethality treatment. The product may be exposed to the environment in this area as a result of slicing, peeling, re-bagging, cooling semi-permeable encased product with a brine solution, or other procedures.
A lethality treatment that is applied or is effective after post-lethality exposure. It is applied to the final product or sealed package of product in order to reduce or eliminate the level of pathogens resulting from contamination from post-lethality exposure.
RTE meat and poultry products are products that have been processed so that they may be safely consumed without further preparation by the consumer (i.e. without cooking or application of some other lethality treatment to destroy pathogens). (66FR 39:12590). ( from the draft FSIS Risk Assessment for Listeria in Ready-to-eat Meat and Poultry Products, Feb 03).
For Further Information Contact:
Pathogen Reduction/HACCP Page | FSIS Home Page | USDA Home Page