The NVWA has retired the old Information Sheet 85 and replaced it with a much handier and more user-friendly document: the Food Microbiology Handbook. This handbook is considerably more extensive, more up to date and, above all, more practical for anyone who needs to apply the control of European microbiological criteria in their business operations. What's new and better?
As well as Regulation (EU) 2073/2005, other EU rules and national legislation directly or indirectly related to microbiological food safety have been incorporated. Everything has been made clearly available in one place.
Everything you need to know about Listeria is included, from challenge tests and shelf-life studies to environmental monitoring and control measures, including decision trees, sampling schemes and tips for trend analysis. The handbook also refers to important European documents such as:
The handbook also contains schemes for small businesses, slaughterhouses and businesses working with hygiene codes. Everything is tailored to the particular risks and production volume.
Besides criteria, the handbook also provides more extensive explanation on topics such as laboratory accreditation, pooling of samples, measurement uncertainty, NVWA monitoring, and even Whole Genome Sequencing.
The new handbook is much more than an update of Information Sheet 85; it's a reference work that helps you safeguard microbiological food safety in the right way, whether you work in QA, in the laboratory, or are responsible for HACCP. And the great thing is: it's regularly updated, so you always stay current. Tip: make sure you're using the current version! Our experts are ready to help with interpretation or application of the handbook.
Contact us at +31(0)888 31 03 30 or CCMRA@ftbnl.eurofins.com.