BAK key terms

Any form of verification or measure performed by a competent authority to check compliance with feed and food law, animal health and welfare rules, and plant health requirements.

The government body designated by law to organise and carry out official controls and enforcement in a given area, such as food safety, animal health, or plant health.

A risk management approach allowing protective action when scientific evidence is uncertain but a plausible serious hazard exists, without waiting for full proof of harm.

A structured process made up of risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication, used to decide how to control hazards in food and feed chains.

The exchange of information and opinions about hazards and risks among assessors, managers, stakeholders, and the public throughout the risk analysis process.

The ability to follow a food, feed, animal, or substance through all stages of production, processing, and distribution by means of recorded identification links.

A network for swift exchange between authorities about serious direct or indirect risks to human health arising from food or feed, enabling rapid withdrawal or recall.

A formal written instruction issued by an authority requiring a business to remedy non-compliance within a stated period, with legal consequences if ignored.

A penalty imposed for breaching legal requirements, ranging from administrative fines and licence conditions to prosecution and custodial sentences in serious cases.

The formal legal process of charging a person or business with an offence and bringing the case before a court to seek conviction and punishment.

The systematic identification and evaluation of biological, chemical, and physical hazards associated with a process, so that controls can be prioritised and justified.

A preventive food safety system built on seven principles: hazard analysis, critical control points, limits, monitoring, corrective action, verification, and record keeping.

A step in a process where a specific control measure is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.

A measurable value that separates acceptability from unacceptability at a critical control point, such as a minimum temperature or maximum pH.

The action taken when monitoring shows a critical limit has not been met, to regain control, deal with affected product, and prevent recurrence.

Basic hygiene and operational conditions and activities that provide a sound foundation for HACCP, covering cleaning, pest control, maintenance, training, and supplier approval.

Recognised practices and procedures applied at all stages of production to ensure food is handled safely and remains fit for consumption.

The transfer of harmful microorganisms or substances from one surface, food, or person to another, often through hands, equipment, or shared preparation areas.

A two-stage process in which visible soil is removed first and then microorganisms are reduced on surfaces to a safe level using approved agents.

A substance, usually a protein from a listed food group, that can trigger an adverse immune reaction and must be declared and controlled to prevent unintended presence.

A biological, chemical, or physical agent, or condition of food, with the potential to cause an adverse health effect in consumers.

The planned sequence of observations or measurements at a control point to confirm that a process remains within its defined limits.

The application of methods, procedures, tests, and other evaluations, beyond monitoring, to confirm that a control system is working as intended.

The physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies, covering health, comfort, nutrition, safety, and natural behaviour.

A welfare framework describing freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain and disease, fear and distress, and the freedom to express normal behaviour.

The requirement that animals be fit for the intended journey, with no injury, illness, or condition that would make transport cause unnecessary suffering.

Any intentionally applied process that causes an animal to lose consciousness and sensibility without avoidable pain, before slaughter or other killing.

The number or live weight of animals kept per unit of floor area, set to protect welfare by allowing sufficient space to rest, move, and access feed and water.

A disease that must be reported to the competent authority without delay because of its serious animal or public health impact and the need for rapid control.

Restrictions on the movement of animals, products, or vehicles, imposed to prevent the spread of disease during an outbreak or within a controlled zone.

The state of animal populations with respect to disease and the measures taken to prevent, control, and eradicate diseases that affect animals or people.

The condition of plants and plant products free from harmful pests and diseases, protected through surveillance, certification, and quarantine measures.

A pest that is absent from a defined area and whose introduction or spread would have serious economic or environmental consequences, so it is officially controlled.

An official document confirming that a consignment of plants or plant products has been inspected and meets the plant health requirements of the importing country.

A label that accompanies specified plants or plant products within a protected trading area, showing they meet plant health requirements for movement.

A decision-making approach that combines cultural, biological, and chemical methods to control pests while minimising risks to health and the environment.

Any measurable amount of a pesticide, its metabolites, or degradation products remaining in or on food, feed, or the environment after application.

The highest legally permitted concentration of a pesticide residue in or on food or feed, set on the basis of good agricultural practice and consumer safety.

An identifier marking a defined quantity of product produced under essentially identical conditions, enabling tracing, recall, and investigation of incidents.

A traceability rule requiring each food business to know its immediate supplier and immediate customer, so the chain can be reconstructed link by link.

The removal of unsafe or non-compliant food from consumers or the distribution chain, carried out by a business under authority oversight and communicated to the public.

An independent, systematic examination of a business's own systems and records to check they meet planned arrangements and legal requirements.

A documented sequence of records that allows an auditor to reconstruct what happened, when, by whom, and on what basis a decision was made.

A failure to meet a specified legal or system requirement, which must be recorded, assessed for risk, and addressed with appropriate follow-up action.

A documented procedure stating how many samples to take, from where, and by what method, so results are representative and defensible.

The documented, unbroken record of who handled a sample or document, when, and how, ensuring findings remain reliable and admissible.

An organisation to which the competent authority entrusts specific official control tasks, remaining responsible for oversight and for the quality of the work done.