APPSC FSO key terms

Any foreign, inferior or harmful substance added to a food to increase bulk, appearance or profit, or a constituent removed to lower quality. Detection triggers penal action under food safety law.

A family of toxic metabolites produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in warm, humid storage conditions, commonly contaminating groundnuts, maize and dried chillies. Aflatoxin B1 is a potent hepatocarcinogen with strict regulatory limits.

A dormant, highly heat-resistant structure formed by Bacillus and Clostridium species that survives ordinary cooking and later germinates into a vegetative cell. Spores explain the safety logic behind pressure canning and rapid cooling of cooked foods.

A brief thermal treatment, usually hot water or steam, applied to fruits and vegetables before freezing or drying. It inactivates enzymes that cause browning and off-flavours and reduces surface microbial load without fully cooking the tissue.

An anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium whose toxin causes botulism, a severe paralytic illness. Low-acid canned and vacuum-packed foods are the classic risk, so scheduled thermal processes must deliver sufficient lethality.

The international food standards programme jointly run by FAO and WHO, producing commodity standards, codes of practice and maximum residue limits. Indian standards and WTO trade disputes frequently refer to Codex texts as the scientific benchmark.

The unbroken sequence of refrigerated storage, transport and display that keeps perishable food within a specified temperature range from production to consumption. Any break allows microbial growth and shortens shelf life.

The condition in which a thermally processed food is free of viable microorganisms capable of growing under normal storage, including heat-resistant spores of public health concern. It is the target of canning schedules, not absolute sterility.

A step in a food process where a control measure is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level. Each CCP is monitored against defined limits and corrected when breached.

The officer appointed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to receive reports from Food Safety Officers, conduct enquiries, issue improvement notices, and launch prosecution before the court or adjudicating officer in a district.

Any material not normally part of the food, such as insect fragments, sand, stones, hair or packaging debris. Limits are specified in standards, and presence above limits indicates poor manufacturing or storage hygiene.

The removal of a food from the market because it is unsafe, mislabelled or non-compliant, carried out by the manufacturer with regulator oversight. Recalls are classified by severity and must be reported and verified for effectiveness.

The formal analytical result issued by a notified laboratory analyst under the Food Safety and Standards Act, stating the sample's conformity or the nature of adulteration. It is the evidentiary basis for prosecution or adjudication.

The senior state-level authority under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 who heads the state food safety administration, licenses and registers food businesses, and supervises Designated Officers and Food Safety Officers.

A documented, auditable framework combining prerequisite hygiene programmes, hazard analysis and critical control point principles, and management commitment, used to consistently produce safe food and demonstrate compliance to regulators and buyers.

The field officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 who inspects premises, draws samples, seizes non-compliant articles and forwards samples for analysis, acting on complaints and surveillance findings.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which frames science-based standards, licensing regulations and enforcement guidance and coordinates food safety across states.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, a systematic preventive system that identifies biological, chemical and physical hazards, sets control points with limits, and verifies that controls work. It underpins modern food safety certification.

The structured process of listing potential biological, chemical and physical hazards at each processing step, assessing their likelihood and severity, and deciding which require control. It is the first principle of HACCP.

The legally permitted upper concentration of a pesticide residue in or on a food commodity, set from toxicological and dietary intake data. Exceeding it makes the food non-compliant even if acute toxicity is unlikely.

The movement of water within or between food components, or through packaging, driven by vapour pressure differences. It causes sogginess, caking, crystallisation and localised microbial growth, and is a key shelf-life determinant.

A toxic secondary metabolite produced by moulds growing on foods, exemplified by aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and fumonisins. Control depends on good agricultural practice, rapid drying and dry, ventilated storage.

The mandatory declaration of energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, sugar and other nutrients per serving or per 100 grams on packaged food, enabling informed choice and supporting public health nutrition policy.

The average daily intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all healthy people in a defined life-stage and sex group. Indian RDAs are published by ICMR-NIN and guide diet planning and fortification levels.

The deliberate addition of essential micronutrients such as iron, iodine, vitamin A or folic acid to staple foods to correct widespread dietary deficiencies. Fortified staples are regulated for permitted nutrients, levels and labelling.

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, used to classify underweight, normal, overweight and obesity in populations. Asian cut-offs are lower than international ones because of higher metabolic risk at the same BMI.

The continuous collection, analysis and dissemination of health data, including food-borne illness reports, to detect outbreaks and guide control measures. In food safety it links laboratory findings to epidemiological action.

The scientific evaluation of the likelihood and severity of harm from a hazard, combining hazard identification, dose-response, exposure assessment and risk characterisation. It is kept separate from risk management decisions.

The prescribed procedure defining sample size, number of increments, container sealing, labelling and dispatch to the laboratory, designed so results are legally defensible. Deviations can invalidate enforcement action.

The ability to follow a food or ingredient through specified stages of production, processing and distribution, one step back and one step forward. It enables targeted recalls and rapid investigation of contamination events.

The ratio of the vapour pressure of water in a food to that of pure water at the same temperature, indicating water available for microbial growth. Lowering it below about 0.6 stops most spoilage and pathogenic growth.

A pressure vessel used to heat-seal and thermally process packaged foods at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius. Uniform heat penetration and correct come-up time are essential to achieve commercial sterility.

Preservation by freezing the food and then subliming ice under vacuum, leaving a porous, light product that rehydrates quickly. It retains colour, flavour and nutrients better than hot-air drying but costs more.

Discolouration of cut fruits and vegetables caused by polyphenol oxidase acting on phenolic compounds in the presence of oxygen. Blanching, acidification or oxygen exclusion prevents it during processing and storage.

The period during which a properly stored food remains safe, retains acceptable sensory quality and meets declared nutrient content. It is established by accelerated and real-time storage studies and underpins date marking.

The officer empowered under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, not below a specified rank, to hear cases referred by the Designated Officer and impose monetary penalties for specified food safety contraventions.

The set of documented hygiene, personnel, equipment, premises and process controls that a food business must follow to prevent contamination. It forms the prerequisite base on which HACCP and certification schemes are built.