gislation 453 stores in other Member States. However, there is greatest intercommunity trade in the EU ininternational products such as fresh pasta(i.e. required to be kept chilled to maintain shelf-life)which have a relatively long shelf-life, compared with other chilled foods 16.4 Chilled foods are Before looking at the regulatory framework applicable to chilled foods the definition of these products must be addressed. The definition adopted is that used by the UK Chilled Food Association, which focuses on retail foods(CFA 1997): Chilled foods are prepared foods, that for reasons of safety and/or quality are designed to be stored at refrigeration temperatures(at or below 8C but not frozen) throughout their entire life. This definition excludes non- prepared foodstuffs such as raw meat, poultry and fish portions sold alone ar which require cooking prior to consumption. Similarly, commodity dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese are excluded from the definition, as they are not considered to be prepared Chilled prepared foods are manufactured using a wide variety of raw materials are either used in their raw state or they are subjected to various treatments,e.g. blanching, freezing, and cooking (i.e. equivalent to a time- temperature combination of 70oC for two minutes). Cross-contamination during manufacturing is avoided by the use of Good Hygienic Practice, as set out in the CFA Guidelines (1997) and European Chilled Food Federation Guidelines CFF1996) t' chilled prepared foods can be manufactured from a variety of raw materials terms of level of processing (Table 16. 1)and can be designed to be ready to eat, to be reheated(minimal heat application before serving, for organoleptic purposes)or to be cooked(thorough and prolonged heating before serving) Even though chilling extends shelf-lives without prejudi uality, it must be recognised that it is a relative extension in shelf-life. Cooked chilled foods are often erroneously referred to as cook-chill. These foods have been defined as a catering system based on the full cooking of food followed by ast chilling and storage in controlled temperature conditions(0C-3C) and subsequent thorough reheating before consumption. A maximum shelf-life of Table 16.1 Ingredients Further Processing Raw None or reheated Raw + cooked None or reheated Raw and/or cooked Cooked, then packed Raw and/or cooked Cooked in packagestores in other Member States. However, there is greatest intercommunity trade in the EU in ‘international’ products such as fresh pasta (i.e. required to be kept chilled to maintain shelf-life) which have a relatively long shelf-life, compared with other chilled foods. 16.4 Chilled foods are. . . Before looking at the regulatory framework applicable to chilled foods the definition of these products must be addressed. The definition adopted is that used by the UK Chilled Food Association, which focuses on retail foods (CFA 1997): ‘Chilled foods are prepared foods, that for reasons of safety and/or quality are designed to be stored at refrigeration temperatures (at or below 8ºC, but not frozen) throughout their entire life.’ This definition excludes non￾prepared foodstuffs such as raw meat, poultry and fish portions sold alone and which require cooking prior to consumption. Similarly, commodity dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese are excluded from the definition, as they are not considered to be ’prepared’. Chilled prepared foods are manufactured using a wide variety of raw materials, including vegetables, fruits and ingredients of animal origin. These materials are either used in their raw state or they are subjected to various treatments, e.g. blanching, freezing, and cooking (i.e. equivalent to a time￾temperature combination of 70ºC for two minutes). Cross-contamination during manufacturing is avoided by the use of Good Hygienic Practice, as set out in the CFA Guidelines (1997) and European Chilled Food Federation Guidelines (ECFF 1996). Chilled prepared foods can be manufactured from a variety of raw materials in terms of level of processing (Table 16.1) and can be designed to be ready to eat, to be reheated (minimal heat application before serving, for organoleptic purposes) or to be cooked (thorough and prolonged heating before serving). Even though chilling extends shelf-lives without prejudicing safety or quality, it must be recognised that it is a relative extension in shelf-life. Cooked chilled foods are often erroneously referred to as ‘cook-chill’. These foods have been defined as a catering system based on the full cooking of food followed by fast chilling and storage in controlled temperature conditions (0ºC–3ºC) and subsequent thorough reheating before consumption. A maximum shelf-life of Table 16.1 Ingredients Further Processing Raw None or reheated Raw + cooked None or reheated Raw and/or cooked Cooked, then packed Raw and/or cooked Cooked in package Legislation 453