APPENDIX A
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS
Action levels
Levels set to provide regulatory guidance to FDA field personnel to determine whether or not a product should be deemed adulterated and an appropriate enforcement action imposed.
ADI
Acceptable daily intake.
AFDO
Association of Food and Drug Officials, York, Pa.
AFDOSS
Association of Food and Drug Officials of Southern States, Knoxville, Tenn.
ALAD
Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase.
APA
Administrative Procedures Act, administered by Food and Drug Administration.
APC
Aerobic plate count (for microorganisms).
APHA
American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.
AQL
Acceptable quality level (quality that has a 95% chance of acceptance).
ASP
Amnesic shellfish poisoning.
BHC
Benzene hexachloride (a mixture of the α, β, γ-isomers of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane, depending on the manufacturer).
BH
Boston Harbor in Boston, Mass.
CAP
Controlled atmosphere packaging.
CCPs
Critical control points.
CDC
Centers for Disease Control, Public Health Service, Atlanta, Ga.
CFR
Code of Federal Regulations.
CFU
Colony forming unit.
Chemically contaminated
Presence of significant levels of undesirable (usually toxic) chemicals derived from natural environment or of anthropogenic origin.
CHPB
Canadian Health Protection Board, Ottawa.
CNI
Community Nutrition Institute, Washington, D.C.
CNS
Central nervous system.
Control systems
Mechanisms to reduce or eliminate risk from hazards by government, industry, or individual action.
CPG
Compliance policy guidelines relating to seafood safety.
CSF
Cerebrospinal fluid.
CSTE
Conference of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, Albany, N.Y.
CT
Cholera toxin.
CWA
Clean Water Act, administered by Environmental Protection Agency.
DB
Delaware Bay in Delaware.
DCC
Division of Contaminants Chemistry of Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Washington, D.C.
DCPA
Dacthal pesticide.
DDE
Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (a metabolite of DDT).
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane].
Deficiencies
Aspects of control systems that reduce their effectiveness.
Depuration
A procedure to remove pathogens from molluscan shellfish.
DFO
Department of Fish and Oceans of Canada, Ottawa.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid.
DOC
U.S. Department of Commerce.
DOD
U.S. Department of Defense.
DSHS
Department of Social and Health Services in Washington state.
DSP
Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.
D-value
The number of minutes at the indicated temperature necessary to reduce a microbial population by 90%.
ED50
Median effective dose; the dosage required to produce a response in 50% of a population.
EDB
Ethylene dibromide.
EEC
European Economic Community, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
ELISA
Enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay.
EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
ESADDI
Estimated safe and adequate daily dietary intake levels set by National Academy of Sciences.
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.
FDA
U.S. food and Drug Administration, Public Health Service.
FEL
Frank effect level for blood.
FEP
Free erythrocyte protoporphyrin.
FFDCA
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by Food and Drug Administration.
FMI
Food Marketing Institute, Washington, D.C.
FNB
Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.
F-value
Equivalent in minutes, at given temperature, of heat considered necessary to destroy spores or vegetative cells of a particular microorganism.
FWS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
GAO
U.S. General Accounting Office, Washington, D.C.
GMP
Good manufacturing practices.
GNP
Gross national product.
HACCP
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point.
HAV
Hepatitis type A virus.
Hazard
An organism, substance, or condition having the potential to cause disease.
Hazard severity
High: may cause disability, extended sequelae, and in some cases, death. Moderate: may require medical intervention to avoid debilitating or life-threatening effects; rarely self-resolving. Mild: symptoms transitory, rarely lasting more than a few days, no sequelae; not life threatening, usually self-resolving.
Hazardous seafood
Fish or shellfish, the consumption of which can lead to disease.
HCB
The fully aromatic form of benzene with six chlorine molecules.
HDH
Hawaii Department of Health, Honolulu.
HHS
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
HPLC
High-performance liquid chromatography.
H/R
Hudson/Raritan Estuary in New York.
IAMFES
International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians, Ames, Iowa.
ICMSF
International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods.
IOM
Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
IQL
Indifference quality level (quality that has a 50% chance of acceptance).
ISSC
Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference; the organization that implements the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.
Lindane
γ-isomer of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane, also known as BHC.
LOAEL
Low-observed-adverse-effect level.
LQL
Limiting quality level (quality that has a 10% chance of acceptance).
MAP
Modified atmosphere packaging (a process in which air is replaced by other gases, usually CO2).
MATC
Median acceptable toxicant concentration for blood.
MMWR
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Published by Centers for Disease Control.
MOU
Memorandum of understanding.
MPN
Most probable number, a means for estimating bacterial densities.
MPRSA
Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, administered by Environmental Protection Agency.
NACMCF
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food.
NANB
Non-A, non-B enteral hepatitis and unspecified hepatitis.
NAS
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
NBCIA
National Blue Crab Industry Association, Division of National Fisheries Institute, Arlington, Va.
NCBP
National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
NETSU
Northeast Technical Support Unit of Food and Drug Administration, Davisville, R.I.
NFI
National Fisheries Institute, Inc., Arlington, Va.
NFPA
National Food Processors Association, Seattle, Wash.
NFSPC
National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NHMRC
National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, or ANHMRC.
NMFS
National Marine Fisheries Service of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAEL
No-observed-adverse-effect level.
NOEL
No-observed-effect level.
NPD
National Purchase Dairy Panel, Inc., Schaumburg, Ill.
NPMP
National Pesticide Monitoring Program of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NRC
National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.
NSP
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.
NSSP
National Shellfish Sanitation Program carried out by states under supervision of Food and Drug Administration.
NS&T
National Status and Trends Program of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NYSB
New York Bight in New Jersey.
OAD
Ocean Assessment Division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Organoleptic
Affecting or relating to qualities such as appearance, color, odor, and texture.
PAHs
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls.
PFP
Puffer fish poisoning.
PHS
U.S. Public Health Service.
PHSA
Public Health Service Act, administered by Food and Drug Administration.
Probit
Number of standard deviations from the median of a lognormal distribution of tolerances plus five.
PSP
Paralytic shellfish poisoning.
PTDI
Provisional tolerance daily intake limits set by Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization.
PTWI
Provisional tolerance weekly intake limits set by Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization.
PUFI
Packed under federal inspection.
Quality
Refers to palatability and organoleptic characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness, and flavor, based on the maturity, marbling, color, firmness, and texture of the product.
RBP
Retinol binding protein.
RfD
Reference dose.
RIA
Radioimmunoassay.
Risk
Probability that a person will become ill from a hazard.
Safety
Probability that harm will not occur under specified conditions (the reciprocal of risk).
SD
Standard deviation.
SFA
Southeastern Fisheries Association, Tallahassee, Fla.
SRV
Small round virus.
TBT
Tri-n-butyltin.
TCBS
Thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose selective agar medium.
TCDD
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.
TCI
The Catfish Institute, Belzoni, Miss.
TD25
Lifetime dose estimated to produce cancer in 25% of exposed people.
TDE
Or DDD [(diphenylethanedichlorophenyl(ethane), a metabolite of DDT].
Teratogen
Agent causing congenital defect(s).
TMAO
Trimethylamine oxide.
Tolerance
Limit above which the product is deemed to be injurious.
TRF
Tuna Research Foundation, Washington, D.C.
UCL
Upper confidence limit.
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USF&WS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
WHO
World Health Organization of the United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.
Wholesomeness
The general term used to imply that the product is processed in a sanitary and healthful manner and is safe to eat.
Z-score
Number of standard deviations above or below the midpoint of a standard normal or lognormal distribution; inferred from the work of a specific individual value in a data set.
Z-value
The temperature difference associated with a tenfold difference in the killing rate of microorganisms.