It is expected that the food we eat is safe.

Croatian Food Act (NN 46/07) defines requirements related to the food safety, which state that it is not allowed to place unsafe food on the market!

Unsafe food is one that is considered harmful to health or unfit for eating.

In deciding whether a food is unsafe, one should take account the usual conditions of use of the food by the consumer; the conditions at each stage of production, processing and distribution, and of the information provided to the consumer, including the labeling and information generally available to the consumer. This includes stating specific adverse health effects of a particular food or food category.

When deciding whether a food is harmful to human health, one must not only consider the possible direct short-term and/or long-term adverse effects of that food on the health of the person consuming it, but also the effects on future generations, possible cumulative toxicity and special health sensitivity of a specific category of consumers when food is intended for that category of consumers.

The Croatian legislation obliges every business that deals with food that the food they handle at any stage of production, processing, storage, transport, preparation and serving, must be safe.
This requirement for businesses that deal with food is usually fulfilled by Good Manufacturing and Good Hygienic Practice, combined with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). Microbiological analyses of food objectively confirm the correct handling of food.
In accordance with the Food Act, Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has enacted legislation in the form of Rule Book establishing microbiological criteria for certain microorganisms in various types of food – Rule Book on microbiological criteria for food (NN 74/08, 156/08, 89/10) and the European Commission adopted the Regulation of the EU Commission no. 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (SL L 338 of December 22nd, 2005).
Additionally, in June 2010, the same Ministry adopted a Guide to Microbiological Criteria for Food, in order to make it easier to interpret the requirements for microbiological criteria for different types of food.
The obligation of businesses that deal with food as facilities under sanitary supervision, implies regular annual microbiological control of food, depending on the level of risk, in accordance with the Act on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases (NN 79/07, 113/08, 43/09)

Methodes:

• HRS CEN ISO/TS 17728 Sampling procedures for microbiological testing of food and feed samples
• HRN EN ISO 13307 Primary stage of production - Sampling techniques
• HRN EN ISO 707 Milk and milk products - Guidance on sampling
• HRN EN ISO 17604 Sampling of animal carcasses for microbiological analysis
• HRN EN ISO 4833 Horizontal method for determining the number of microorganisms
• HRN EN ISO 21528 Horizontal method for proving the presence and determining the number of Enterobacteriaceae
• HRN ISO 4832 General instructions for counting coliform bacteria
• HRN ISO 16649 Method of counting beta-glucuronidase positive Escherichia coli
• HRN EN ISO 6579 Horizontal method for proving the presence, determination and serotyping of Salmonella
• HRN EN ISO 11290 Horizontal method for proving the presence and counting Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria spp.
• HRN EN ISO 6888 Horizontal counting procedure for coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species)
• HRN EN ISO 7932 Horizontal method for counting Bacillus cereus
• HRN ISO 15213 Horizontal method for counting sulfite-reducing bacteria under anaerobic conditions
• HRN ISO 21527 Horizontal method for counting yeasts and molds
• HRN EN 15788 Isolation and counting Enterococcus (E. faecium) spp.
• HRN EN ISO 10272 Horizontal method for the detection and detection of Campylobacter spp.
• HRN EN ISO 7937 Horizontal method for counting Clostridium perfringens
• HRN ISO 6658 Sensory analysis