Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (c. 852)

ANNEX II GENERAL HYGIENE REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS (EXCEPT WHEN ANNEX I APPLIES)

CHAPTER XI HEAT TREATMENT

The following requirements apply only to food placed on the market in hermetically sealed containers:

1. any heat treatment process used to process an unprocessed product or to process further a processed product is;

(a)

to raise every party of the product treated to a given temperature for a given period of time; and

(b)

to prevent the product from becoming contaminated during the process;

2. to ensure mat the process employed achieves the desired objectives, food business operators are to check regularly the main relevant parameters (particularly temperature, pressure, sealing and microbiology), including by the use of automatic devices;

3. the process used should conform to an internationally recognised standard (for example, pasteurisation, ultra high temperature or sterilisation).