Member States are responsible for the enforcement of food and feed law, and monitor and verify that the relevant requirements are fulfilled by food and feed business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution. For this purpose, they have to develop an adequate system of official controls.

Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 lays down Community microbiological criteria for certain micro-organisms in specific foodstuffs and the implementing rules to be complied with by food business operators. Food safety criteria included in this Regulation apply to products placed on the market, which means food placed on the Community market and food imported from third countries. Process hygiene criteria apply only at the stage of manufacturing. The competent authority shall verify compliance with the criteria in this Regulation.

Directive 2003/99/EC intends to ensure that zoonoses, zoonotic agents and related antimicrobial resistance are properly monitored, and that foodborne outbreaks receive proper epidemiological investigation. In particular, the investigation of foodborne outbreaks is a very important tool to evaluate the importance of different foodstuffs as a source of infection for humans. Such evaluation is needed to set priority in the control of zoonoses or to re-assess existing control measures.

The training courses on "Monitoring and controls of zoonoses and applying microbiological criteria in foodstuffs" will be organised for staff of the competent authorities of Member States involved in official controls and possible participants from third countries, with the aim of developing best practices on the implementation of microbiological criteria in foodstuffs and on the investigation of food borne outbreaks. In addition, the training is aimed at harmonising the approaches of the Member States by exchanges of views and experiences during the training.