Technical reference
Illness reports usually arrive after the food is gone. A is the only physical evidence left, so it supports investigation rather than prevention. It's only useful if it represents what was served, can't be mistaken for anything else and has been kept in known conditions.
A sample result is one reading of an unevenly contaminated food. A positive can support a link to the illness, along with case and record evidence. A negative can't clear a meal, particularly where only part of it was contaminated or where storage has changed what can be recovered.
Parameters
| Codex quantity | At least 150 g of each item, from each lot |
|---|---|
| Codex timing | Taken at the end of the period |
| Codex storage | Sterile container at 4 °C or below |
| Codex period | Until at least 3 days after the whole lot is consumed |
| Frozen alternative | Many working programmes freeze about 100 to 150 g of each dish and keep it for 5 to 7 days. Agree it with your laboratory |
| On a question | Stop disposal, hold, hand over on record |
Records that prove it
- Occasion, date and lot
- Each item sampled, and who took it
- Disposal date and confirmation
- Hold and handover, with names and times
CCP or prerequisite?
That depends on the for your process. The number, if it has one, belongs to your plan.
Law and practice
| Control | Australia | New Zealand | Singapore | Malaysia | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retained samples | No duty found in the law read. | No duty found in the law read. | No duty found in the law read. | No duty found in the law read. | Hotel plans freeze about 100 to 150 g of each dish for 5 to 7 days, often above a set event size. Production plans hold samples by batch. This differs from the wording, which keeps samples chilled until 3 days after eating. |
Law as read in the authority library between 14 October and 4 November 2026. In practice: food safety programmes read across hotels, clubs, venues, healthcare, manufacturing and airline catering, with no business named. A common practice isn't proof that a is safe or lawful where you are.