Cereals and grains top of FAO and WHO’s risk ranking
Cereals and grains have topped a food safety risk ranking assessment by FAO and WHO. Based on a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the foods of greatest concern from a microbiological food safety perspective.
Low-moisture foods (LMF) were defined as having a water activity (aw) of 0.85 or below. They typically have a long shelf life and have been perceived for many years to not represent a microbial food safety risk. However, in recent years, a number of outbreaks linked to LMF has illustrated that despite the fact that microorganisms cannot grow in these products, bacteria can persist for long periods of time.