ISO 17468:2016 gives technical requirements and guidance on the establishment or revision of standardized reference methods for the analysis (detection or quantification) of microorganisms in
- products intended for human consumption and for the feeding of animals,
- environmental samples in the area of food/feed production and food/feed handling, and
- samples from the primary production stage.
It defines the technical stage (or early stage) of the establishment of a new standardized reference method or of the revision of an existing standardized reference method. It includes, in particular, requirements and guidance on the validation of the selected method.
It is intended to be implemented in particular by ISO/TC 34/SC 9 and its corresponding structure at CEN level, CEN/TC 275, Food analysis - Horizontal methods, Working Group 6, Microbiology of the food chain.