Microbial Challenge Testing for Foods

Who Should Attend
This course is designed for individuals in the food industry, including:

  • Food processors
  • Food service operators and food retailers
  • Federal, State and local food safety regulators
  • Public health officials
  • Food testing laboratories

In addition, process authorities who conduct or evaluate pathogen inhibition and pathogen inactivation studies for foods to evaluate their safety or shelf life would benefit.

Description
The food industry routinely uses challenge testing to determine whether a specific food requires time-temperature control for safety, or is suitably formulated. When laboratory testing is used to support a change in how the product is handled in a food establishment (e.g., refrigerated to unrefrigerated holding, extending shelf life, increasing ambient temperature storage or eliminating the need for date marking), the data are submitted to a state or local regulatory agency or directly to the FDA in the form of a variance application for approval. Food establishments or manufacturers submitting laboratory data to support their proposals must ensure the study is appropriate for the food and pathogen of concern and incorporate the necessary elements into the study to yield a valid design and conclusion.

Because of the many questions raised by regulatory and industry professionals about the appropriate use of challenge studies, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was asked to provide guidance on the topic of challenge studies and their use.

This course is designed to familiarize participants with the recent NACMCF document on this topic entitled “Parameters for Determining Inoculated Pack/Challenge Study Protocols”.