Division 2.5 Selection of the ready-to-eat foods within the three main categories to be sampled

The ready-to-eat foods within the three ready-to-eat food categories to be sampled shall be selected based on the marketing data and detailed in the sampling plan.

However, the diverse nature of products within a category may not permit estimation of market share with a high degree of reliability. In this case, the competent authorities may choose to instruct samplers to select cheeses for sampling based upon an estimated contribution to market share, according to the national sampling plan. Such sampling may be informed by turnover details provided by local retail management, or more roughly by prominence in the marketplace, e.g. what is displayed at the retail outlet. With such an approach competent authorities should provide some direction on approximate market share of major types of food within categories to best approach a sample representative of market e.g. raw/pasteurised milk cheeses.