Microbiologically, wine is a low food safety risk consumer product

Abstract

Scientific studies indicate wine does not support the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as Clostridium botulinum , Bacillus cereus , and Clostridium perfringens . Studies also show wine has anti- microbial properties due to its high acidity, polyphenol content, alcohol content, low redox potential, and preservative content. As a result, wine has been recognized as a consumer product with a low microbiological safety risk, and governments have issued guidance and employed proportionate regulatory frameworks from a food safety standpoint. Building complex food safety regulatory schemes which must be administered with scarce government resources is unnecessary for a product like wine, with a low microbial risk profile as identified by the general principles of risk management endorsed by the WHO and other international advisory bodies. Notwithstanding the inherent microbiological food safety of wine, at least from a bacterial standpoint, it remains essential that wine should be manufactured under appropriate good manufacturing practices.