Conference for Food Protection

During the 2008 Conference for Food Protection Biennial Meeting, the TCS (Temperature Control for Safety) Implementation Committee was created and given the following charges as an outcome of Issue 2008 1-008:

1.) Send a letter to the FDA requesting that they monitor and subsequently post to the FDA website the following information:

a. Any new or additional information that will assist regulators and industry in the implementation of the new PHF/TCS definition

b. The finalized FAQ from the 2005 TCS survey

c. The response document from NACMCF (National Advisory Council for Microbiological Criteria for Foods) on inoculation studies

2.) Work with the Conference to provide a link on the CFP website to the FDA information noted above.

This Issue presents the TCS Implementation Committee's report with supporting documents (Committee Roster and Letter to FDA) and requests acknowledgement of the report.

The TCS Implementation Committee worked to complete their charges by crafting the required letter with the appropriate requests.

Food establishments are required to maintain certain foods at required temperatures unless the food item meets parameters that would prevent pathogenic microorganism growth or toxin formation. By changing the term "PHF" and replacing with "PHF/TCS food" clarifies that "time" and "temperature" have a role in preventing growth and encourage the use of science based food safety principles and programs. Additionally, the new definition recognizes the "Hurdle Concept" which shows that the interaction of several factors at levels that alone would not prevent or control growth, can prevent or control growth when used together.

The posting of the documents as requested by the committee to both the CFP and FDA web sites will allow all interested parties to have access to the necessary information in order to accurately apply the "PHF/TCS food" criteria.

acknowledgement of the TCS Implementation Committee's report and recognition of the efforts committee members put forth in completion of the charges issued by the 2008 Biennial Meeting.