Defect Action Level
Definition
A regulatory threshold set by food safety authorities (the US FDA's Defect Levels Handbook being the most cited) above which insect contamination is considered to render a food product unfit for sale. It is not a safety threshold but an aesthetic and practical one: small amounts of insect material are considered unavoidable in agricultural processing.
Related terms
- Hidden Infestation
- Insects developing inside intact grain kernels (as with Sitophilus larvae) or concealed within the product matrix, invisible to surface inspection. Detection requires...
- Infestation Age
- The minimum period an infestation has been established, back-calculated from the oldest (most developed) larval stage present using accumulated temperature data. Gives...
- Primary Pest
- A species that can attack intact, undamaged grain or other commodity by boring through the kernel or product. Grain weevils (Sitophilus spp.)...
- Secondary Pest
- A species that depends on grain already damaged, cracked, or broken open by primary pests or mechanical processing. Flour beetles (Tribolium spp.)...
- Stored-Product Insects (SPIs)
- Insects that infest, damage, or develop in stored food commodities, including grains, dried spices, nuts, dried fruits, flour, and processed food products....
Explained in
- Stored-Product Entomology and Food ContaminationA regulatory threshold set by food safety authorities (the US FDA's Defect Levels Handbook being the most cited) above which insect contamination is considered...