Table A.1.

Replies to the questionnaire on the commercial use of high‐pressure processing (HPP) of foods with the purpose to increase microbiological food safety by the Competent Authorities

	Question	Yes	No	I don’t know
GENERAL QUESTIONS	1. To your knowledge, how many establishments are using HPP technology in your country?	N/A	N/A	N/A
	2. Has the impact of HPP on food safety been or is it currently being evaluated by the competent authority or other bodies?	6( a )	9	4
	3. Are you aware of any expected important technological changes in the near future (e.g. type of foods to be treated and their processing conditions)?	2( b )	17	N/A
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO FOOD MICROBIOLOGY/HYGIENE	4. Are you aware of any microbiological food safety problems originated from food subject to HPP?	0	19( c )	N/A
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO FCM	5. Are there special considerations or technical requirements on the properties of FCM for HPP apart from flexibility and appearance?	3( d )	3	13( e )
	6. Are you aware of studies on the effect of HPP on FCM, including the potential formation of new reaction/degradation products and the migration of substances into food during and after HPP treatment?	0	19	N/A
	7. Concerning possible strong and undesirable food‐packaging interactions and other changes that may give rise to migration, are there types of foods for which HPP has an adverse effect or for which HPP is not suitable/recommended? What would be the reason for this? Are there polymer types not recommended for HPP apart from aspects such as flexibility, tightness and appearance? Are there other pitfalls to be aware of, including the choice of treatment conditions?	1( f )	2	16
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO FOOD CONTAMINANTS	8. Are you aware of studies on the effect of HPP on the potential formation or degradation/ modification of contaminants in foods during and after HPP treatment?	0	19	N/A

FCM: food contact materials; HPP: high‐pressure processing; N/A: not applicable.

^(a)one competent authority (CA) added that food business operators (FBOps) should assess the consequences of using of HPP in the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system of their establishment. The HACCP system of establishments is checked by the CA; another CA clarified that one meat processing company had their products high‐pressure treated for export to the USA by an establishment in the EU. The company, together the University, carried out a challenge test regarding the growth of Listeria in order to be able to comply with the zero tolerance of US legal requirements for export. The influence of high‐pressure treatment was also taken into account. This project was accompanied by the local CA. One company is treating fruit juices by high pressure. To our knowledge, up to now it is not clear, whether high‐pressure treated food was used for human consumption to a significant degree within the EU before 15 May 1997 (see definition of ‘novel food’ in Regulation (EU) 2015/2283); another CA added that it is being evaluated. FBOp have incorporated the HPP technology in the HACCP system of their establishments which is checked by the CA; another CA added that, during the sanitary control, the results of storage tests presented by the FBOp (producer of fruit and vegetable juices) were analysed: the number of yeasts and moulds in 1 mL, the number of Escherichia coli bacteria in 1 mL, the number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria in 1 mL, the presence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in 25 mL; test results for the presence of spore‐forming anaerobic bacteria before and after the HPP treatment. Moreover, the results of organoleptic tests of juices before and after HPP treatment as well as tests of extract content, pH, lead and cadmium were presented; another CA informed that the impact of HPP on food safety is evaluated yearly during the audits performed by the Veterinary Central Competent Authority (CCA) and regional (County) veterinary authority. The frequency of the audits performed by the inspectors of County veterinary authority depends on the risk category of establishment using HPP equipment; for example, because the single HPP establishment had been classified into low risk category, the frequency of audits that should be performed by County veterinary authority is 1 audit/trimester (or 4 audits/year); another CA added that FBOp assess the impact of HPP on food safety as a part of their HACCP, which is checked by the CA.

^(b)one CA clarified that one service provider works or has worked on the sanitation of raw milk cheeses with the presence of L. monocytogenes and enteropathogenic E. coli; he also works on the treatment of raw milk for consumption (which poses a product classification problem); another CA added that the HPP technology is mainly used in meat products. Besides this, is currently used or planned to be used in RTE meals, some kind of salads or poultry meat products.

^(c)two CAs clarified that so far no public health problem has been clearly identified in connection with this HPP technology in their country; one CA clarified that any microbiological food safety problems have been identified in connection with this HPP technology.

^(d)one CA answered that the professional has in his specifications with his customers an obligation for them to provide proof of the foodstuffs of the packaging for the HPP treatment; another CA answered that the only problem that FBOp noticed concerning food contact material (FCM) was delamination, so they had to ask relevant guarantees from the producer of FCM. In any case FCM which are used in HPP technology have to be suitable for this use in accordance with the technical specifications of these products; another CA added that packages used are made of special materials that can withstand high pressure.

^(e)one CA clarified that FCM which are used within the framework of HPP technology have to be suitable for this use in accordance with the technical specifications of these products; another CA answered clarified that FCM which are used within the framework of HPP technology have to be suitable for this use in accordance with the technical specifications of these products.

^(f)One CA answered that FCM used in HPP applications are subject to the same legislative requirements as other FCMs in terms of their safety i.e. migration studies, applicability, etc. In general, FCM for HPP are required to be flexible enough to withstand the mechanical stress caused by hydrostatic pressure while maintaining physical integrity during the process. Due to their good flexibility, elasticity and water‐barrier characteristics, plastics are commonly used as packaging material subject to HPP treatment. Not all foods are suitable for HPP, liquids and sauces are best. It has effects on the quality of some food such as meat e.g. colour.