Self Contained Environmental Tests

There are several products on the market designed to allow in-house testing of listeria and salmonella for environmental monitoring. We used the products from Hardy Diagnostics for a while but went back to sending sponges to an outside lab.  We are a smaller food processor (low moisture, low Aw foods) and have a small in house lab for routine physical and some chemical testing, but no microbiology lab. We are also SQF Level 2 Certified.

 

I went back to outside lab testing (we collect the samples and send sponges to lab for testing) because even though the test kits have AOAC approval we do not have laboratory certification.  I became concerned that our environmental testing program might be considered suspect if we were basing our results on the use of these kits and did not have certification. or worse, that we might actually not be getting good results.  i would be interested in comments regarding the use of these kits types of kits, potential concerns from SQF auditors, potential concerns with FDA as FSMA moves forward (even though it does not currently require environmental monitoring), etc.  The cost savings is significant, but compromising the monitoring program is not worth the savings.

I'm not completely clear on your question but if you want to use outside testing for your environmental monitoring program you'll have to train anyone doing swabbing (and have a solid SOP in place for that function), and have an accredited lab using approved methods
to do the required testing and get you results. I also think it's a good idea to have a qualified person (or persons) responsible to be in charge of you EMP to ensure that the swab process is following best practices and who can put together corrective action plans if your contracted outside lab finds a positive. There's a lot of info on the subject of putting an effective EMP in place, but here are a couple of interesting resources:

My question is specifically around the use of the self contained test devices that would be testing in house vs. using an outside lab.  If we do that the test would not be done in a certified lab, but the test kits are AOAC certified.

You could use the in-house regularly, with Good Laboratory Procedures strictly followed and documented.  Then send out a duplicate swab to AOAC lab to validate your in-house testing, frequency maybe quarterly or less depending on how many swabs you do?  Then your in-house method has been validated/calibrated against AOAC lab.

I'm not completely clear on your question but if you want to use outside testing for your environmental monitoring program you'll have to train anyone doing swabbing (and have a solid SOP in place for that function), and have an accredited lab using approved methods
to do the required testing and get you results. I also think it's a good idea to have a qualified person (or persons) responsible to be in charge of you EMP to ensure that the swab process is following best practices and who can put together corrective action plans if your contracted outside lab finds a positive. There's a lot of info on the subject of putting an effective EMP in place, but here are a couple of interesting resources:

 

EMP = Electomagnetic Pulse

 

Another unsearchable acronym.  :crybaby: :smile:

EMP = Electomagnetic Pulse
 
Another unsearchable acronym.  :crybaby: :smile:

Sorry Charles, I wasn't referring to an electrical magnetic pulse. Maybe an American acronym but my use of EMP = environmental monitoring program.