Hi all, first post!
We make a range of cold pressed, date based snack bars here in Auckland, New Zealand. The products contain 4 or 5 raw materials, with date paste being the largest raw material by %. The raw materials are mixed together then extruded into a slab, cooled, slit, cut and wrapped.
We have been having a spirited discussion about CCPs for this process. We currently test water activity every 2 hours as a means of controlling microbial growth and call this a CCP. However, at no point in the process is there a specific step where a control is/could be applied to reduce or eliminate the hazard of microbial growth. The water activity of the product is merely a function of the raw materials. Therefore it seems we cannot have a CCP for controlling microbial spoilage if there is no control preventative measures in the process.
Thoughts?
I have also been thinking that we need to assess the true risk of microbial spoilage, as if the RMs are all within spec the risk should be very low.