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Corrective action for listeria on raw almonds

Started by , Apr 26 2018 03:13 PM
10 Replies

Hi everyone I'm a quality control supervisor but I have some questions, recently we sent some raw almond samples to a lab, they came back as positive for Listeria innocua, my questions is if we have to write a corrective action or a non conformance document that the entire lot was pasteurized, does anyone knows the correct procedure in this case. After the pasteurization I collected another sample and came out negative form the lab.

 thanks

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I think your first course of action is determining where the listeria came from....now that you have proof that it made its way to your facility, you need to know if it was just that batch from the supplier or if it became contaminated prior to pasteurization in your plant.

 

Swab equipment, forklift wheels etc to figure out if it's an isolated incident or not

 

Then you can proceed with your corrective actions, a simple non conformance won't do until your certain the listeria was isolated to that batch. You risk contaminated already pasteurized almonds if it's in the building 

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Hi everyone I'm a quality control supervisor but I have some questions, recently we sent some raw almond samples to a lab, they came back as positive for Listeria innocua, my questions is if we have to write a corrective action or a non conformance document that the entire lot was pasteurized, does anyone knows the correct procedure in this case. After the pasteurization I collected another sample and came out negative form the lab.

 thanks

 

Pasteurization is theoretically a major undertaking. See file env7 here -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...am/#entry119334

 

afaik L.innocua is not a pathogen.

 

https://microbewiki....isteria_innocua

 

although -

 

http://jcm.asm.org/c...41/11/5308.full

 

I would think it is not improbable that raw nuts may contain environmental species which Listeria spp often is. ?

well this almonds come from the huller basically straight from the fields, so we know that they can be contaminated, we sort this almonds and we sell them blanched or pasteurized, but if an auditor comes do you think that they would ask me if we take any action on those almonds before they are sold to the customer?

well this almonds come from the huller basically straight from the fields, so we know that they can be contaminated, we sort this almonds and we sell them blanched or pasteurized, but if an auditor comes do you think that they would ask me if we take any action on those almonds before they are sold to the customer?

 

Hi svg,

 

I assumed yr OP meant that the detection was on yr raw material, ie unpasteurized ??

 

I assume you have a micro. specification for yr raw input material ?.

 

This would normally dictate yr testing procedure as shown to an auditor.

 

I sincerely hope the raw specification makes no  claim like "Free of Listeria" ?

 

Detection on the pasteurized finished product would be a different matter. ??

 

A haccp plan for the pasteurization process would logically not regard Listeria monocytogenes in the raw material as a significant hazard.

 

And certainly not L.innocua.

 

PS - I am curious, why do you sell both blanched and pasteurized ? What is the difference ?

And to your question, this is still requires corrective action....the finished good shouldn't be adulterated and it was.

 

It really doesn't matter what your process from start to finish is...but if you are checking swabbing/testing for a "possible" pathogen and you get a positive hit, then yes you need a corrective action

 

Has the almonds originally been blanched? If so, perhaps that process needs re evaluated for time/temp OR they need blanched AND pasteurized 

And to your question, this is still requires corrective action....the finished good shouldn't be adulterated and it was.

 

It really doesn't matter what your process from start to finish is...but if you are checking swabbing/testing for a "possible" pathogen and you get a positive hit, then yes you need a corrective action

 

Has the almonds originally been blanched? If so, perhaps that process needs re evaluated for time/temp OR they need blanched AND pasteurized 

 

Hi Scampi,

 

This is why some authoritative micro.texts state that issuing micro. specifications for raw materials "straight from the field" for environmentally ubiquitous pathogens is meaningless and preferably avoided. Sort of "No News is Good News". Customers tend to disagree of course.

 

One equally wonders what the internal Branded Salmonella retail micro. specifications for the raw chicken breasts destined for consumer cooking state ?? :smile:

Hey Charles, that's exactly why I don't test for listeria here.....at all, it would become an increasingly time consuming process (produce straight from the field) all of us "educated" folks know where to expect listeria.

 

I have my environmental monitoring plan down to bare bones, our finished product is pasteurized following a procedure written by an expert in the field.

 

I know in Canada, salmonella should be zero, but that's leaving the plant....who knows once it hits the retail shelves :headhurts:  :headhurts:

Hi svg,

 

I assumed yr OP meant that the detection was on yr raw material, ie unpasteurized ??

 

I assume you have a micro. specification for yr raw input material ?.

 

This would normally dictate yr testing procedure as shown to an auditor.

 

I sincerely hope the raw specification makes no  claim like "Free of Listeria" ?

 

Detection on the pasteurized finished product would be a different matter. ??

 

A haccp plan for the pasteurization process would logically not regard Listeria monocytogenes in the raw material as a significant hazard.

 

And certainly not L.innocua.

 

PS - I am curious, why do you sell both blanched and pasteurized ? What is the difference ?

 

 

 

yes that's raw material, our product safety consulter said that they should be free of listeria (any type) and if we find any kind of listeria the product should be placed on hold and pasteurize or blanched. about the detection on pasteurized product that's completely different because that product its ready to eat. And for your question the difference on pasteurized product that we sell is on the pasteurized process they apply some gas to pasteurize the almonds (with the skin on it) and for the blanched they wash the almonds and with steam the peel the skin.

Hey Charles, that's exactly why I don't test for listeria here.....at all, it would become an increasingly time consuming process (produce straight from the field) all of us "educated" folks know where to expect listeria.

 

I have my environmental monitoring plan down to bare bones, our finished product is pasteurized following a procedure written by an expert in the field.

 

I know in Canada, salmonella should be zero, but that's leaving the plant....who knows once it hits the retail shelves :headhurts:  :headhurts:

 

And to your question, this is still requires corrective action....the finished good shouldn't be adulterated and it was.

 

It really doesn't matter what your process from start to finish is...but if you are checking swabbing/testing for a "possible" pathogen and you get a positive hit, then yes you need a corrective action

 

Has the almonds originally been blanched? If so, perhaps that process needs re evaluated for time/temp OR they need blanched AND pasteurized 

we do have an environmental plant divided in 4 different zones.

the almond haven been blanched they are raw coming from the huller. we haven't get any positive listeria result on finished product, just on the incoming product.

yes that's raw material, our product safety consulter said that they should be free of listeria (any type) and if we find any kind of listeria the product should be placed on hold and pasteurize or blanched. about the detection on pasteurized product that's completely different because that product its ready to eat. And for your question the difference on pasteurized product that we sell is on the pasteurized process they apply some gas to pasteurize the almonds (with the skin on it) and for the blanched they wash the almonds and with steam the peel the skin.

 

Hi svg,

 

I suggest you get a new "product safety consulter" who understands about listeria in raw materials.

 

Interesting pasteurization process. I hope you validate the 5-6 log reduction.

 

I don't quite understand the purpose of the steam blanching. To facilitate the peeling ?


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