Abstract
Management of food safety using the approaches outlined in the first five chapters, based on controlling hazards through Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) strategy, is much more effective than trying to ensure safety through end-product testing. Nonetheless, end-product testing is useful to verify that the food safety management system is working effectively or to indicate when the status of a lot is in doubt. This chapter discusses the concepts of probability and sampling that, on the one hand, show the practical limitations of end-product testing and, on the other hand, form the basis of the rational design of statistically-based sampling plans (see Chap. 7), including ICMSF’s 15 cases (see Chap. 8).
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Notes
- 1.
In fact, because sample units are not returned to the lot after sampling, the probability of detection in any subsequent sample is slightly altered after each sample is taken. This is because the population size is slightly reduced after sampling. The probability of detecting a defective sample in this situation is better described by the Hypergeometric distribution. In practical situations, however, the difference in probability of acceptance due to this consideration is insignificant (since the amount of sample taken is negligible in comparison to the total lot) and calculations based on the Binomial distributions are adequate and lead to simpler calculations.
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International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). (2018). Concepts of Probability and Principles of Sampling. In: Microorganisms in Foods 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68460-4_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68460-4_6
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