8. Safety Parameters
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8. Safety Parameters
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Bakery Products
Australia
This section provides the safety parameters (microbiological, contaminants, heavy metals, pesticides, veterinary residues, and food contact materials).
8.1 Microbiological Standards
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Category “Breads and bakery products” | Please refer to Section 8.1 - Microbiological Standards - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. Additionally, the below applies. There are no specific testing requirements for bakery products so one needs to refer to Ready-to-eat (RTE) as a consideration. The micro-organisms specifications for the Ready-to-eat (RTE) chapter in [1] are lengthy and will not be reproduced here. Individual specifications will depend upon a number of factors (as seen in Figure 1 below) like formulation, whether there is raw or cooked egg, dairy, etc. For example, a cream or custard-filled bakery product may be tested for Staphylococcus aureus and other coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) [1] (Figure 2 below).
Figure 2. Screenshot from ref [1]: Staph. aureus testing for several food products The specification could also be set based on the results (Figure 3).  
Each bakery product would require an assessment of the potential microbiological risks in order to set a specification. Guidance information is provided in [1]. FSANZ also has a guideline [2] on microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods, which may be useful. |
Product “Biscuits, cakes and pastries (including layer cakes with mousses)” | Same as "Category" above. |
8.2 Contaminants and Heavy Metals
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Category “Breads and bakery products” | Please refer to Section 8.2 - Contaminants and Heavy Metals - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
Product “Biscuits, cakes and pastries (including layer cakes with mousses)” | Please refer to Section 8.2 - Contaminants and Heavy Metals - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
8.3 Pesticides
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Category “Breads and bakery products” | Please refer to Section 8.3 - Pesticides - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
Product “Biscuits, cakes and pastries (including layer cakes with mousses)” | Please refer to Section 8.3 - Pesticides - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
8.4 Veterinary Standards
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Category “Breads and bakery products” | Please refer to Section 8.4 - Veterinary Standards - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
Product “Biscuits, cakes and pastries (including layer cakes with mousses)” | Please refer to Section 8.4 - Veterinary Standards - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
8.5 Food Contact Materials
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Category “Breads and bakery products” | Please refer to Section 8.5 - Food Contact Materials - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
Product “Biscuits, cakes and pastries (including layer cakes with mousses)” | Please refer to Section 8.5 - Food Contact Materials - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Australia. |
8.6 References
1. Compendium of Microbiological Criteria for Food
PDF attached below
2. Guidance on the application of microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in RTE food
PDF attached below
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