This table shows a summary of typical methods for controlling pathogens and the testing/inspection requirements associates with each Product Risk Group.
The table shows the 9 product risk groups; canned – sterilized, Ready to eat (RTE) – cooked, RTE - pasteurized in the container, RTE - safety parameters, RTE - no safety parameters or heat, Non RTE - live, Non RTE - raw, Non RTE - blended/ mix ingredients, Non RTE – breaded.
When the end product is a canned, sterilized product at room temperature, the heat processing target organism is Clostridium botulinum. Where swollen cans are found, a micro – sterility test should be performed. Other factors to consider are container integrity. Some examples of types of products are cans, glass jars and retort pouches.
When the end product is a ready to eat product that has been cooked with heat and is frozen, the heat processing target organism is Listeria. The micro testing requirements are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. When the end product is a ready to eat product that has been cooked with heat and is refrigerated, the test requirements depend on the length of shelf life. For short shelf life product, the heat processing target organism is Listeria. The micro testing requirements are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. Other factors to consider are package permeability. For long shelf life product, the safety parameters and target organism for pH, water activity and percent salt are Listeria. The heat processing target organism is Listeria. The micro testing requirements are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. Some examples of Ready to eat cooked with heat products are cooked bivalves, hot smoked fish, soups and caviar.
When the end product is a ready to eat product that has been pasteurized in the container and frozen, the heat processing target organism is Listeria. The micro test required are "pooled micro tests as appropriate". Other factors to consider are package integrity. When the end product is a ready to eat product that has been pasteurized in the container and refrigerated with a long shelf life, the product can be made safe by heat processing alone which targets C. botulinum or through a combination of safety parameters that targets C. botulinum and heat that targets Listeria. The micro test required are "pooled micro tests as appropriate". Other factors to consider are package integrity. When the end product is a ready to eat product that has been pasteurized in the container and is stored at room temperature, the product is made safe through safety parameters (pH, water activity and percent salt) that targets C. botulinum and heat processing that targetsListeria. The micro test required are "pooled micro tests as appropriate". Other factors to consider are package integrity. Some examples for types of product are kamaboko, caviar, soups, chowder, oyster sauce, fish sauces.
When the end product is a ready to eat product with safety parameters that has a refrigerated long shelf life, the product is made safe through safety parameters (pH, water activity and percent salt) that targets both C. botulinum and Listeria. The micro test required are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. When the end product is a ready to eat product that is stored at room temperature, the target organism is Staph, which is controlled through safety parameters (water activity and percent salt). The micro test required are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. Some examples of these products are pickled, salted, dried, spiced, fermented, or cured fish products and seafood salads.
When the end product is a ready to eat product with no safety parameters or heat that is frozen, the micro tests required are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. When the end product is a ready to eat product with no safety parameters or heat and is refrigerated with a short shelf life, the micro tests required are E. coli, Listeria, Staph and Salmonella. Other factors to consider are package permeability for smoked fish. Some examples of these products are cold smoked fish, sushi, caviar, sea urchin roe.
When the end product is non ready to eat, either live, raw, blended / mixed ingredients or breaded, which is frozen or refrigerated, appropriate micro tests should be carried out. Some examples of live product is molluscan bivalves; for raw product - fillets, steaks; for blended / mixed ingredients – fish burgers; and for breaded - breaded shrimp.