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Table 3 Guidance on the interpretation of results for specific food-borne pathogens in ready-to-eat food in general (colony-forming unit (cfu)/g)

From: Microbial quality of ready-to-eat vegetable salads vended in the central business district of Tamale, Ghana

Criterion Satisfactory Borderline Unsatisfactory (potentially injurious to health and/or unfit for human consumption)
Escherichia coli O157 (and other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)) n.d. in 25 g N/A Detected in 25 g
Salmonella spp. n.d. in 25 g N/A Detected in 25 g
Shigella spp. n.d. in 25 g N/A Detected in 25 g
Bacillus cereus <  103 103 to < 105 >  105
Hygiene indicator organism Satisfactory Borderline Unsatisfactory (potentially injurious to health and/or unfit for human consumption)
Escherichia coli < 20 20 to < 102 >  102
  1. Source: Health Protection Agency, 2009. Guidelines for Assessing the Microbiological Safety of Ready-to-Eat Foods Placed on the Market. http://www.gov.uk/phe. (Accessed 4 March 2017)
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International Journal of Food Contamination

ISSN: 2196-2804

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