DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products
DIN 10526
Food hygiene - Retained samples in mass catering
Lebensmittelhygiene - Rückstellproben in der Gemeinschaftsverpflegung
Overview
This standard provides a guide to the approach, technical prerequisites, sampling, storage temperature and duration as well as the disposal of retained samples in the mass catering field. An obligation exists for operators of mass catering facilities to collect and store retained samples, currently in accordance with § 3 of the Regulation containing provisions applicable to foodstuffs on the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents, if the food business operator inspects, within the framework of controls according to Article 3, Clause 1 (EC) VO No 2073/2005 or other in-house controls, foodstuffs for zoonotic agents. In addition, the obligation for taking and storing retained samples arises through § 20a of the draft for the first regulation amending rules for the implementation of the Community legislation on food hygiene, article 2 of the amendment of the Tierische Lebensmittelverordnung - Tier-LMHV (Ordinance on hygienic requirements for foodstuff of animal origin). It specifies that retained samples are to be taken and stored for seven days in the case of delivery of ready-to-eat foodstuffs containing raw egg to mass catering facilities where particularly sensitive groups of people are fed. Furthermore, the food business operator can, according to the general liabilities of the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (German Civil Code) and the Produkthaftungsgesetz (Product Liability Law), be held liable for any damage caused to the user due to defective products. In Germany, more than 200 000 illnesses from enteritis infectiosa are officially recorded yearly. Here, a clear underestimation shall be assumed. Investigations in other middle European countries indicate that the estimated number of unknown cases is more than 10 times the official amount. It is to be assumed that a large segment of these illnesses are food-borne. If a delivery of foodstuffs in the mass catering field leads to cases of illness, the investigation of retained samples can decisively contribute to a clarification of illnesses and can thus relieve the person responsible (operator). This process standard which deals with particular aspects of health protection describes the suitable approach and the technical prerequisites for taking retained samples. At the same time, it contains a guide for storage temperature and duration as well as disposal of retained samples. The standard has been prepared by Working Committee NA 057-02-01 AA "Lebensmittelhygiene" ("Food hygiene"), Working Group NA 057-02-01-12 AK "Rückstellproben in der Gemeinschaftsverpflegung" ("Retained samples in mass catering"). - character of the standard, for instance - basic standard (wide-reaching field of application or general specifications for a particular field) - generic standard (basic standard for a particular field) - engineering standard (standard with specifications for a particular field) - selected standard (field with an extract from another standard) - umbrella standard (summary of specifications from multiple standards) - service standard - delivery standard (for instance technical delivery conditions) - dimensional standard - product standard - planning (calculation) standard - test standard - material standard - procedural standard - explanatory standard (for instance terminology) - The standard particularly deals with aspects of - quality - environmental protection - health protection - work safety - (product) safety.
