Technical reference
A test verifies a food safety system and can't replace it. A lot can pass a test and still contain a at a low level, because only a small portion is ever examined.
Parameters
| cfu/g | per gram: viable cells counted on a plate |
|---|---|
| MPN/g | per gram: estimated from dilution tubes |
| Log scale | 10³ means 1,000; each step of one is a tenfold change |
| Standard plate count | Colony count on solid medium after aerobic incubation at 30 °C |
| Point of application | bands: retail chain, up to and including end of shelf life |
Records that prove it
- Sample description and date
- Laboratory and method
- Result with its unit
- Guideline used and band
- Action taken and cause found
Ready-to-eat guideline bands, cfu/g
| Organism | Guideline | Satisfactory | Marginal or borderline | Unsatisfactory | Potentially hazardous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacillus cereus | FSANZ | <10² | 10² to <10³ | 10³ to 10⁵ | >10⁵ |
| UKHSA | <10³ | 10³ to 10⁵ | >10⁵ | ||
| Clostridium perfringens | FSANZ | <10² | 10² to <10³ | 10³ to 10⁵ | >10⁵ |
| UKHSA | <10 | 10 to 10⁴ | >10⁴ | ||
| Coagulase-positive staphylococci | FSANZ | <10² | 10² to <10³ | 10³ to 10⁴ | >10⁴ |
| UKHSA | <20 | 20 to 10⁴ | >10⁴ | ||
| Escherichia coli | FSANZ | <3 | 3 to <10² | >10² | |
| UKHSA | <20 | 20 to 10² | >10² | ||
| Listeria monocytogenes, growth can occur | FSANZ | Not detected in 25 g | Detected in 25 g | ||
| Listeria monocytogenes, no growth | FSANZ | ≤10² | >10² | ||
| UKHSA | Not detected | Detected, up to 10² | >10² | ||
| Salmonella | FSANZ | Not detected in 25 g | Detected in 25 g | ||
| UKHSA | Not detected | Detected |
Guideline bands assess handling controls. They aren't . Check the sources for footnotes and for your own food category. Sources: (July 2025) Tables 2.1 and 2.2; (2024) Tables 1 and 2.
CCP or prerequisite?
That depends on the for your process. The number, if it has one, belongs to your plan.