| Test Organism Table Note a | Product Type | Number of sample units | Acceptance number "c" Table Note b | Level "m" Table Note b | Level "M" Table Note b | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escherichia coli | Cooked or ready-to-eat products | 5 | 1 | 4/g | 40/g | Unsatisfactory if 2 or more units exceed m, or if any unit exceeds M |
| Escherichia coli | Raw bivalve molluscs | 5 | 1 | 230/100 g | 330/100 g | Unsatisfactory if 2 or more units exceed m, or if any unit exceeds M |
| Escherichia coli | All other types | 5 | 2 | 4/g | 40/g | Unsatisfactory if 3 or more units exceed m, or if any unit exceeds M |
| Coagulase-Positive Staphylococci | All types | 5 | 1 | 1000/g | 10000/g | Unsatisfactory if 2 or more units exceed m, or if any unit exceeds M |
| Salmonella (all species). | All types | 5 | Absent in each 25 g sample or in pooled samples of 125 g. | - | - | Unsatisfactory if Salmonella spp detected |
| Vibrio cholerae | Cooked or ready-to-eat products | 5 | Absent in each 25 g sample or in pooled samples of 125 g | - | - | Unsatisfactory if Vibrio cholerae detected. |
| Vibrio parahaemolyticus Table Note c | Live Oyster | 5 | 0 | 100/g | - | Unsatisfactory if any unit exceeds m |
Table Notes
- Table Note a
-
The methods recognized for the analysis of the test organisms can be found in Health Canada's Compendium of Analytical Methods.
- Table note b
-
"m" represents acceptable concentrations of bacteria in a sample; "c" represents the maximum number of samples that may exceed "m", and "M" represents unacceptable concentrations of bacteria in a sample
- Table Note c
-
The guideline applies to oysters destined for raw consumption.
Guidelines for Listeria monocytogenes
The criteria for L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat fish products follow those found in Table 1: Sampling methodologies and microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods, under Health Canada's Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods (2023).