Considerations for Establishing Safety-Based Consume-by Date Labels for Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Foods (Adopted August 27, 2004, Washington, DC.)

摘要

There is a growing concern for the possible adverse impact of extended shelf life of certain foods on consumer health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) draft and final risk assessments on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (17, 18) reinforced the critical interrelationship between the temperature and time of refrigerated storage on the microbiological safety of refrigerated RTE foods. In light of this, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was asked by the supporting federal agencies to identify scientific parameters that should be considered for the establishment of Safety-Based Use-By Date Labels (SBDLs) and specify data needs for validating and verifying their adequacy. The purpose of the model regulation is to prescribe mandatory uniform date labeling of prepackaged, perishable foods and to prescribe optional uniform date labeling that must be used whenever a packager elects to use date labeling on prepackaged foods that are not perishable. Open dating is intended for use and understanding by both distributors and consumers when judging food qualities.