Practical application of predictive microbiology software programs to HACCP plans

We studied how predictive microbiology models could practically be applied to HACCP plans with two predictive software programs that are currently ava ilable. The software programs were the Food Micromodel elaborated by the Mi nistry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, U.K. and the Pathogen Modeling Program of Eastern Regional Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture . They successfully provided useful information on (i) the determination of Critical Control Points (CCPs), (ii) the estimation of critical limits at CCPs, (iii) the decision of abused products, (iv) the assessment of equival ence of HACCP plans, and further (v) the development of new products. With the information simulated by the software programs, HACCP teams could make scientific and objective decisions for developing their individual plans. I t was also confirmed that microbiological process standards for food proces sing are indispensable for the application of the predictive programs to HA CCP plans.