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Page No. : 67-72

ABSTRACT

Food borne illnesses impose a burden on public health and contribute significantly to the cost of health care. Increased reliance on imported food and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement of WTO (1995) has necessitated an effective internationally accepted food safety management system. Microorganisms play a vital role in causation of foodborne illnesses. New concepts like Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) and Food Safety Objectives (FSO) play an important role in effective implementation of existing food safety management systems which are established on the basis of Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA). Performance objectives are set at specific points in the food production and supply chain and performance criteria and process criteria are defined for each step. Microbiological criteria are established wherever necessary. Finally, these are incorporated in the industry s HACCP plan. Integrating steps along the food supply chain from “Farm to Fork” will help to implement control measures at specific steps in order to meet the FSO.

Keywords: Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP), Food Safety Objectives (FSO), HACCP, Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA), Performance criteria, Performance objectives