This includes USDA & FDA regulated product.
Dear Lacey,
And do these bodies also regulate the micro.safety / quality ? If so, end of search unless you disagree with them for other non-regulated products ? if so, perhaps you could elaborate a little ?
Offhand i think i can predict 3 product candidates for regulatory (or non-regulatory) RTE maxima without much fear of contradiction from any textbooks for a USA scenario (except a possible distinction for No.1 if USA follows the EC, [I believe they choose not to]) -
(1) L.mono. = ND / reference sample size / reference sampling plan / reference procedure
(2) Salmonella spp = ND / reference sample size / reference sampling plan / reference procedure
(3) E.coli O157: Hxyz (and maybe other serological variants) = ND / reference sample size / reference sampling plan / reference procedure
ND = not detected. Do note that a sampling plan is relevant. Also note that not all of (1-3) will be relevant to every product.
Values for (4) APC, (5) (generic)E.coli, (6) coliform, (7) S.aureus will probably occur and may well appear to be "picked out of a hat" . Limits probably vary with product type and also randomly with state. Other species may pop up depending on the individual product composition / sources, eg Campylobacter, various spore-forming types. Frankly, the total possibilities are legion but most commercial specifications limit to, maybe, (4-10) favorites. On-line links obviously offer search possibilities . haccp designed lists per product type also exist in specific (extended) journal reviews but many need money.
.
A great source of ideas is the ICMSFv6 (+v2,v8?) volumes I referred previously ( v6, v8 are google preview available on-line I think, v2 [the relevant part] is downloadable free). Another renowned micro. data source is the massive Compendium of Microbiological Methods for examination of Foods (approx.) also viewable on-line (especially the older editions IMEX).
Then there are the other non-bacterial microbes which I won't get into here.
For the raw item, nos (1-3) should hold again, (4-7) likely to be a free-for-all.
If you are having to design the specs yourself and the product not regulated, many people choose (1-3) + (4-7) as above (including the caveats) using a "reasonably typical" limit for latter and then add (8-X), usually around 0-4 items depending on product, etc, eg marine items get vibrio species thrown in. some people tend to go a bit wild and end up with 15-20 which can look a bit ridiculous, albeit comprehensive.
It would be nice if straight compilations of lists existed with, say, top 10 health related microbes for a huge range of product/sub-product categories. They do but AFAIK most are in the private sphere due to their being commissioned or require some access permissions, eg Codex database, maybe.
Rgds / Charles.C
PS - The attachment given in post 7 is helpful. There is additionally an impressive indexed list of RTE foods / similar limits in its, i think, original ca.2001 source edition due to PHLS / UK (a magnificent organisation now apparently renamed as HPA). Both the 2001 document and a, IMO, sometimes less user-friendly ca.2010 update which is "EC compliant" are available on-line and variously posted on this forum. The extensive data given may clash with US ideas of course. No accounting for "taste".