Handling of food for research purposes

Foodstuffs are defined as foods, drinks, stimulants or other goods intended for human consumption, with the exception of goods covered by the Swedish Medicinal Products Act. The handling of foodstuffs for research purposes must always be preceded by a written risk assessment, which must specify any safety measures to be taken in order to limit contamination and/or risks during handling. The immediate manager is responsible for the risk assessment, but the actual risk assessment should preferably be performed by the person doing the handling. The risk assessment requirement covers all handling, as well as storage, transport and waste. Food must be labelled/packaged in a way that minimises confusion with chemical products or other biological material. Particular care must be taken to guarantee an unbroken cold chain for products likely to support the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms or the formation of toxins. For further information about preparation and storage of food, see Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Chapter 9, Section 5.