Cleaning validation/Allergen testing

Hi, I am new to this & I see that similar has been discussed before but I looking for some advice on my cleaning validation/allergen testing.

We deal with four different allergens one designated area contains gluten & soya while another designated area contains dairy and egg, gluten & soya.  Before my time there has been allergen swabs carried out before and after cleaning.  However, as the areas are designated I am not sure there is a need for this?  I have been told to use dairy and egg kits only to test all areas after cleaning, maybe I am not understanding properly but how can I use these in the area that contains gluten & soya?  One theory I had was just using micro swabs for cleaning validation as areas are designated do we really need allergen swabs??  Also, would rapid kits stand up to audit standards as opposed to laboratory results from lab, although standard we comply to do not specify laboratory testing.

All advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Many thanks!

I had similar issues. We had an area that only dealt with sesame so I never did any validation in this rea, as everything was dedicated and enclosed in the area.

In a second area I had just about every allergen know to man!

We got around it, and this was accepted by the Tesco PIU auditor, in this way.

Most of our recipes contained more than one allergen. So I took a swab of the mixer / filler/ utensil whilst I knew t was contaminated (my control sample) and a second swab once it was all washed as the test sample.  I then tested for 1 of the allergens that was included in the recipe. More often or not this would have been either milk or egg. I also tested such items as washing brushes (as these were not dedicated to particular machines / recipes...I'd have run out of colours) to show that even after cleaning equipment, the brushes showed no traces.

I did this over a number of days, so that I could show it was the norm.

I would also take samples of product for testing. If I started on an egg / mayo based product, washed then moved onto a product that id not include egg, I would take a sample of that product to demonstrate that egg hadn't contaminated the new product.

It's all very long winded, but get yourself organised and document what you are doing and what you hope to achieve. And it's very expensive! I must have spent about £15K in testing! and it needs to be repeated annually for Tesco

Caz x

Thanks for your reply Caz.  So did you not carry out any cleaning validation swabs in the sesame area at all?  Tesco would be looking at our designated gluten and soya area only so we would have to validate cleaning in this area in some way?  Yeah expensive is right, up until now allergen kits have been used with laboratory analysis but I would question the necessity of all of the testing currently been done.

Thanks!

Thanks for your reply Caz.  So did you not carry out any cleaning validation swabs in the sesame area at all?  Tesco would be looking at our designated gluten and soya area only so we would have to validate cleaning in this area in some way?  Yeah expensive is right, up until now allergen kits have been used with laboratory analysis but I would question the necessity of all of the testing currently been done.

 

Thanks!

If all of your recipes contain both gluten & Soya, and they are in a dedicated area, then you have an argument not to validate.

However, if some recipes only contain one of the allergens, then even though its a dedicated area, you have a duty to validate that the "missing" allergen hasn't contaminated the plant.

Caz x

Dear Waferthin,

it's not quite an identical situation but you might find this Allergen Tree example offers some insight to yr OP. Basically an alternative depiction of an allergen matrix as discussed in another thread here.

Allergen Cleaning Tree.pdf   31.85KB   156 downloads

Rgds / Charles.C

Thank you for the information Charles I shall read through this.  I think as we only produce one product in each designated area and there is no cross over of allergens it is only a matter of verifying or cleaning.

Thanks all!

Hi Waferthin

Please find attached a schedule for allergen cleaning validation.

This is based on the most stringent UK retailer requirements.

Hope this helps.

rgds

Hi Waferthin

Please find attached a schedule for allergen cleaning validation.

This is based on the most stringent UK retailer requirements.

 

Hope this helps.

 

rgds

Dear IANR,

I see no schedule ?? maybe it's my Browser.

Rgds / Charles.C