Which of the following best describes performance criteria?

• A. Numbers published in the regulations representing the highest expected bacterial loads on carcasses when the slaughter process is under control
• B. Enforceable regulatory standards for maximum allowable bacterial loads on carcasses
• C. Provide a method to roughly quantify the amount of fecal contamination on carcasses
• D. None of the above

Answer: (A)

Performance criteria are numeric targets that define the upper bound of what the process should produce when it is under control. They specify the highest expected bacterial load on carcasses under proper slaughter practices, serving as a benchmark to judge whether the process is in control. They aren’t the enforceable regulatory standards themselves (which set the actual limits that must not be exceeded) and they aren’t a method for measuring contamination. So the description that the numbers published in regulations represent the highest expected bacterial loads when the process is under control best matches what performance criteria are.