***NEWS***

The VAAM special group "Food Microbiology" merged with the DGHM group "Food Microbiology and Hygiene" in 2015 and has been operating as a joint special group ever since. It currently has a total of around 400 members from the food industry and private testing laboratories, universities and universities of applied sciences as well as federal research institutes and official institutions.food microbiology covers a broad spectrum of organisms and the research focuses of our members are correspondingly diverse. They range from pathogenic or toxinogenic microorganisms and spoilage organisms to fermentation and ripening organisms used in food technology. Due to its interdisciplinary orientation, the specialist group sees itself as a mediator between the manufacturing industry, nutritional science, food chemistry and technology as well as medicine and consumers. members of the specialist group are also active in an advisory capacity on national and international committees, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the German Federation for Food Science and Food Law (BLL) and the Senate Commission for the Assessment of the Health Safety of Food (SKLM).

Within the DGHM special group, the "Microbiological guideline and warning values" working group was established to develop microbiological indicators for assessing the hygienic status of foods or food groups. In 2014, the permanent working group "Microbiological Guideline and Warning Values for Food" was established for this purpose.

Every year, the special group organizes a two-day symposium to promote the exchange between academic research and industrial application and to provide a platform for both young and established scientists as well as participants from food monitoring and the food industry.

Anyone interested in joining the specialist group should send a short email to the office so that the member file can be updated accordingly.