SQF 2.5.2 states that critical limits must be scientifically validated and subsequently re-validated on an annual basis. We employ a kill step during our cooking process to eliminate potential salmonella, which was validated to a 6 log reduction from data collected in a lab trial last year.
We hired a third party laboratory/consulting group and this validation was not cheap (read several thousand dollars). I am wondering if SQF is saying it's necessary to scientifically validate this kill step every year? If so, that is unreasonable for us as we are a small company and cannot afford to appropriate funds in this manner. What other ways do I have to validate this? Our cooking process does not change so the validation is still valid.