{ "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2005-2073/annex-I/chapter-1", "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2005-2073/annex-I/chapter-1.json", "legislation": "eur/2005/2073", "legislation_title": "Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (Text with EEA relevance)", "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2005-2073", "path": "annex/I/chapter/1", "kind": "chapter", "number": "1.", "heading": "Food safety criteria", "text": "n = number of units comprising the sample; c = number of sample units giving values between m and M.\nFor points 1.1-1.24, 1.27a, 1.28-1.30 m = M.\nThe most recent edition of the standard shall be used.\nRegular testing against the criterion is not required in normal circumstances for the following ready-to-eat foods:\nthose which have received heat treatment or other processing effective to eliminate L. monocytogenes , when recontamination is not possible after this treatment (for example, products heat treated in their final package),\nfresh, uncut and unprocessed vegetables and fruits excluding sprouted seeds\nbread, biscuits and similar products,\nbottled or packed waters, soft drinks, beer, cider, wine, spirits and similar products,\nsugar, honey and confectionery, including cocoa and chocolate products,\nlive bivalve molluscs ,\nfood grade salt.\nThis criterion shall apply if the manufacturer is able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the product will not exceed the limit 100 cfu/g throughout the shelf-life. The operator may fix intermediate limits during the process that must be low enough to guarantee that the limit of 100 cfu/g is not exceeded at the end of shelf-life.\n1 ml of inoculum is plated on a Petri dish of 140 mm diameter or on three Petri dishes of 90 mm diameter.\nThis criterion shall apply to products before they have left the immediate control of the producing food business operator, when he is not able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the product will not exceed the limit of 100 cfu/g throughout the shelf-life.\nProducts with pH ≤ 4,4 or a w ≤ 0,92, products with pH ≤ 5,0 and a w ≤ 0,94, products with a shelf-life of less than five days shall be automatically considered to belong to this category. Other categories of products can also belong to this category, subject to scientific justification.\nThis criterion shall apply to mechanically separated meat (MSM) produced with the techniques referred to in paragraph 3 of Chapter III of Section V of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council.\nExcluding products when the manufacturer can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the competent authorities that, due to the ripening time and a w of the product where appropriate, there is no salmonella risk.\nOnly ice creams containing milk ingredients.\nParallel testing for Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter spp. shall be conducted, unless a correlation between these micro-organisms has been established at an individual plant level. If Enterobacteriaceae are detected in any of the product samples tested in such a plant, the batch must be tested for Cronobacter spp. It shall be the responsibility of the manufacturer to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the competent authority whether such a correlation exists between Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter spp.\nE. coli is used here as an indicator of faecal contamination.\nEach sample unit comprises a minimum number of individual animals according to EN/ISO 6887-3.\nParticularly fish species of the families: Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Coryfenidae, Pomatomidae, Scombresosidae .\nSingle samples may be taken at retail level. In such a case the presumption laid down in Article 14(6) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, according to which the whole batch should be deemed unsafe, shall not apply, unless the result is above M.\nThis criterion shall apply to fresh meat from breeding flocks of Gallus gallus , laying hens, broilers and breeding and fattening flocks of turkeys.\nAs regards monophasic Salmonella typhimurium only 1 ,4,[5],12:i:- is included.\nTaking into account the most recent adaptation by the European Union reference laboratory for Escherichia coli , including Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC), for the detection of STEC O104:H4.\nExcluding sprouts that have received a treatment effective to eliminate Salmonella spp. and STEC.\nThe term unpasteurised means that the juice has not been subjected to pasteurisation obtained by time-temperature combinations or to other processes validated to achieve an equivalent bactericidal effect to pasteurisation as regards its effect on Salmonella .\nFood category\nMicro-organisms/their toxins, metabolites\nSampling plan\nLimits\nAnalytical reference method\nStage where the criterion applies\nn\nc\nm\nM\n1.1\nReady-to-eat foods intended for infants and ready-to-eat foods for special medical purposes\nListeria monocytogenes\n10\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN/ISO 11290-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.2\nReady-to-eat foods able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes , other than those intended for infants and for special medical purposes\nListeria monocytogenes\n5\n0\n100 cfu/g\nEN/ISO 11290-2\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN/ISO 11290-1\nBefore the food has left the immediate control of the food business operator, who has produced it\n1.3\nReady-to-eat foods unable to support the growth of L. monocytogenes , other than those intended for infants and for special medical purposes\nListeria monocytogenes\n5\n0\n100 cfu/g\nEN/ISO 11290-2\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.4\nMinced meat and meat preparations intended to be eaten raw\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.5\nMinced meat and meat preparations made from poultry meat intended to be eaten cooked\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.6\nMinced meat and meat preparations made from other species than poultry intended to be eaten cooked\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 10 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.7\nMechanically separated meat (MSM)\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 10 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.8\nMeat products intended to be eaten raw, excluding products where the manufacturing process or the composition of the product will eliminate the salmonella risk\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.9\nMeat products made from poultry meat intended to be eaten cooked\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.10\nGelatine and collagen\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.11\nCheeses, butter and cream made from raw milk or milk that has undergone a lower heat treatment than pasteurisation\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.12\nMilk powder and whey powder\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.13\nIce cream , excluding products where the manufacturing process or the composition of the product will eliminate the salmonella risk\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.14\nEgg products, excluding products where the manufacturing process or the composition of the product will eliminate the salmonella risk\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.15\nReady-to-eat foods containing raw egg, excluding products where the manufacturing process or the composition of the product will eliminate the salmonella risk\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g or ml\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.16\nCooked crustaceans and molluscan shellfish\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.17\nLive bivalve molluscs and live echinoderms, tunicates and gastropods\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.18\nSprouted seeds (ready-to-eat)\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.19\nPrecut fruit and vegetables (ready-to-eat)\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.20\nUnpasteurised fruit and vegetable juices (ready- to-eat)\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.21\nCheeses, milk powder and whey powder, as referred to in the coagulase-positive staphylococci criteria in Chapter 2.2 of this Annex\nStaphylococcal enterotoxins\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 19020\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.22\nDried infant formulae and dried dietary foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below six months of age\nSalmonella\n30\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.23\nDried follow-on formulae\nSalmonella\n30\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.24\nDried infant formulae and dried dietary foods for special medical purposes intended for infants below 6 months of age\nCronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii)\n30\n0\nNot detected in 10 g\nEN ISO 22964\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.25\nLive bivalve molluscs and live echinoderms, tunicates and marine gastropods\nE. coli\n5\n1\n230 MPN/100 g of flesh and intravalvular liquid\n700 MPN/100 g of flesh and intravalvular liquid\nEN/ISO 16649-3\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.26\nFishery products from fish species associated with a high amount of histidine\nHistamine\n9\n2\n100 mg/kg\n200 mg/kg\nEN ISO 19343\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.27\nFishery products, except those in food category 1.27a, which have undergone enzyme maturation treatment in brine, manufactured from fish species associated with a high amount of histidine\nHistamine\n9\n2\n200 mg/kg\n400 mg/kg\nEN ISO 19343\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.27a\nFish sauce produced by fermentation of fishery products\nHistamine\n1\n0\n400 mg/kg\nEN ISO 19343\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.28\nFresh poultry meat\nSalmonella Typhimurium Salmonella Enteritidis\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1 (for detection) White- Kauffmann-Le Minor scheme (for serotyping)\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.29\nSprouts\nShiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157, O26, O111, O103, O145 and O104:H4\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 grams\nCEN/ISO TS 13136\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life\n1.30\nReptile meat\nSalmonella\n5\n0\nNot detected in 25 g\nEN ISO 6579-1\nProducts placed on the market during their shelf-life", "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.", "status": null, "version": "current", "annotations": [ { "type": "F", "label": "F1", "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1441/2007 of 5 December 2007 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F2", "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/205 of 14 February 2020 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella in reptile meat (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F3", "text": "Deleted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/229 of 7 February 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs as regards certain methods, the food safety criterion for Listeria monocytogenes in sprouted seeds, and the process hygiene criterion and food safety criterion for unpasteurised fruit and vegetable juices (ready-to-eat) (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F4", "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 365/2010 of 28 April 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs as regards Enterobacteriaceae in pasteurised milk and other pasteurised liquid dairy products and Listeria monocytogenes in food grade salt (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F5", "text": "Inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 365/2010 of 28 April 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs as regards Enterobacteriaceae in pasteurised milk and other pasteurised liquid dairy products and Listeria monocytogenes in food grade salt (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F6", "text": "Deleted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 209/2013 of 11 March 2013 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards microbiological criteria for sprouts and the sampling rules for poultry carcases and fresh poultry meat (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F7", "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/229 of 7 February 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs as regards certain methods, the food safety criterion for Listeria monocytogenes in sprouted seeds, and the process hygiene criterion and food safety criterion for unpasteurised fruit and vegetable juices (ready-to-eat) (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F8", "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/2285 of 8 December 2015 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption as regards certain requirements for live bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates and marine gastropods and Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F9", "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 1019/2013 of 23 October 2013 amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards histamine in fishery products (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F10", "text": "Inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 1086/2011 of 27 October 2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards salmonella in fresh poultry meat (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F11", "text": "Inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 209/2013 of 11 March 2013 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards microbiological criteria for sprouts and the sampling rules for poultry carcases and fresh poultry meat (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F12", "text": "Inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/229 of 7 February 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs as regards certain methods, the food safety criterion for Listeria monocytogenes in sprouted seeds, and the process hygiene criterion and food safety criterion for unpasteurised fruit and vegetable juices (ready-to-eat) (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "F", "label": "F13", "text": "Inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/205 of 14 February 2020 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella in reptile meat (Text with EEA relevance)." }, { "type": "X", "label": "X1", "text": "Substituted by Corrigendum to Commission Regulation (EU) No 1086/2011 of 27 October 2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards salmonella in fresh poultry meat (Official Journal of the European Union L 281 of 28 October 2011)." }, { "type": "X", "label": "X2", "text": "Substituted by Corrigendum to Commission Regulation (EU) No 1019/2013 of 23 October 2013 amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards histamines in fishery products (Official Journal of the European Union L 282 of 24 October 2013)." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f1", "text": "n = number of units comprising the sample; c = number of sample units giving values between m and M." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f2", "text": "For points 1.1-1.24, 1.27a, 1.28-1.30 m = M." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f3", "text": "The most recent edition of the standard shall be used." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f4", "text": "Regular testing against the criterion is not required in normal circumstances for the following ready-to-eat foods: those which have received heat treatment or other processing effective to eliminate L. monocytogenes , when recontamination is not possible after this treatment (for example, products heat treated in their final package), fresh, uncut and unprocessed vegetables and fruits excluding sprouted seeds bread, biscuits and similar products, bottled or packed waters, soft drinks, beer, cider, wine, spirits and similar products, sugar, honey and confectionery, including cocoa and chocolate products, live bivalve molluscs , food grade salt." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f5", "text": "This criterion shall apply if the manufacturer is able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the product will not exceed the limit 100 cfu/g throughout the shelf-life. The operator may fix intermediate limits during the process that must be low enough to guarantee that the limit of 100 cfu/g is not exceeded at the end of shelf-life." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f6", "text": "1 ml of inoculum is plated on a Petri dish of 140 mm diameter or on three Petri dishes of 90 mm diameter." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f7", "text": "This criterion shall apply to products before they have left the immediate control of the producing food business operator, when he is not able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, that the product will not exceed the limit of 100 cfu/g throughout the shelf-life." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f8", "text": "Products with pH ≤ 4,4 or a w ≤ 0,92, products with pH ≤ 5,0 and a w ≤ 0,94, products with a shelf-life of less than five days shall be automatically considered to belong to this category. Other categories of products can also belong to this category, subject to scientific justification." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f9", "text": "This criterion shall apply to mechanically separated meat (MSM) produced with the techniques referred to in paragraph 3 of Chapter III of Section V of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f10", "text": "Excluding products when the manufacturer can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the competent authorities that, due to the ripening time and a w of the product where appropriate, there is no salmonella risk." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f11", "text": "Only ice creams containing milk ingredients." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f12", "text": "Excluding sprouts that have received a treatment effective to eliminate Salmonella spp. and STEC." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f13", "text": "The term unpasteurised means that the juice has not been subjected to pasteurisation obtained by time-temperature combinations or to other processes validated to achieve an equivalent bactericidal effect to pasteurisation as regards its effect on Salmonella ." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f14", "text": "Parallel testing for Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter spp. shall be conducted, unless a correlation between these micro-organisms has been established at an individual plant level. If Enterobacteriaceae are detected in any of the product samples tested in such a plant, the batch must be tested for Cronobacter spp. It shall be the responsibility of the manufacturer to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the competent authority whether such a correlation exists between Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter spp." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f15", "text": "E. coli is used here as an indicator of faecal contamination." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f16", "text": "Each sample unit comprises a minimum number of individual animals according to EN/ISO 6887-3." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f17", "text": "Particularly fish species of the families: Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Coryfenidae, Pomatomidae, Scombresosidae ." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f18", "text": "Single samples may be taken at retail level. In such a case the presumption laid down in Article 14(6) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, according to which the whole batch should be deemed unsafe, shall not apply, unless the result is above M." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f19", "text": "This criterion shall apply to fresh meat from breeding flocks of Gallus gallus , laying hens, broilers and breeding and fattening flocks of turkeys." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f20", "text": "As regards monophasic Salmonella typhimurium only 1 ,4,[5],12:i:- is included." }, { "type": "footnote", "label": "f21", "text": "Taking into account the most recent adaptation by the European Union reference laboratory for Escherichia coli , including Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC), for the detection of STEC O104:H4." } ], "outstanding_effects": [], "provenance": { "source": "legislation.gov.uk", "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2005/2073/annex/I/chapter/1", "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T14:54:04.164955+00:00" }, "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0", "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/", "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives." }