Air Quality Testing
Hi Everyone,
In my most recent 3rd party audit, I was told by the auditor that I needed to be testing our indoor air quality.
The only reference I can find to air quality testing, is for compressed air that comes into contact with food or food contact surfaces (10.5.5). We have no compressed air that comes into contact with food or food contact surfaces. The compressed air we do have, is a hose to blow off the packing line at the end of the day, after all food, fcs and packaging has been removed. The line is then cleaned and sanitized, and we have a risk assessment in place to justify not testing this compressed air.
The auditor was talking about a requirement to have our indoor air quality tested.... I do not see anywhere in the SQF code that specifies that requirement. Can anyone help?
Side note: We are a mushroom growing facility, so we are definitely going to have spores in our air. Does anyone here have experience conducting air quality testing in a mushroom/fungus producing facility?
We fall under FSCs 3, 4 & 14.
Thanks
Hi Evelynn,
I don't offhand remember what SQF Code specifies but there are various threads here regarding auditor queries over, IIRC, "air" filters / "air" quality. For measurement can try -
https://www.ifsqn.co...ion/#entry64124
(eg file cpc2)
Nonetheless, yr query is certainly pertinent.
Thanks Charles!
I had a look through that thread, but was unable to find much info on the requirements, if any, for indoor ambient air quality specifically. I'm confident that I am compliant with my compressed air quality monitoring.
I'm about to have a look through our customer specifications to see if perhaps it was one of their audit expectations, but I don't remember reading about testing ambient air quality during my last customer spec review.
I've downloaded the Campden air quality article you posted in that other thread, and I will keep that for my resources, but for now i am trying to find the section of code that specifies that I must test the air quality in areas such as my packing room, so that I can explain to the owner, why he should be spending a bunch of money on it each year.
Because maybe he shouldn't :)
Thoughts?
Evelyn,
Did the auditor referred to any clause in the audit report?
Do you run any EMP Program at your site?
The auditor didn't refer to any clause in particular, and we didn't receive any NC for it.
But I do want to do my research in case there actually is a clause somewhere that I have missed somehow.
We do run an EMP program, which includes sampling of water, surfaces and finished product.
We do not sample our compressed air, as it does not contact food or food contact surfaces, and we have a risk assessment to back it up. He was ok with this.
He mentioned we needed to test our air quality in general (He said, "Just a standard plate count will do"). He did not provide a clause, and I forgot to ask him to specify...Regrettably.
Thanks Charles!
I had a look through that thread, but was unable to find much info on the requirements, if any, for indoor ambient air quality specifically. I'm confident that I am compliant with my compressed air quality monitoring.
I'm about to have a look through our customer specifications to see if perhaps it was one of their audit expectations, but I don't remember reading about testing ambient air quality during my last customer spec review.
I've downloaded the Campden air quality article you posted in that other thread, and I will keep that for my resources, but for now i am trying to find the section of code that specifies that I must test the air quality in areas such as my packing room, so that I can explain to the owner, why he should be spending a bunch of money on it each year.
Because maybe he shouldn't :)
Thoughts?
Hi Evelynn,
Have a look at the links in this Post (= time of SQF7.x) -
https://www.ifsqn.co...ng/#entry100607
I think, from memory, yr auditor's "offhand" comment mirrors that experienced by some other auditees regarding their environmental air. They mostly responded with sedimentation plate counts, some results of which are reported in (probably) the sub- links in above link. I haven't examined SQF8 Guidance (only ever implemented BRC) for "air" which might be a logical step albeit multi-hit no doubt.
Some micro (inter alia) "standards" for "air" are particularly discussed in the 5th sub-link (eg see the sh1 file and the excel sheet in same post). And, from memory, 1--2 of others.
PS - the Procedure / Units for sedimentation plate counts can get a little complicated/subjective
Possibly looking for yeast and mold plates?
I would ignore this comment altogether. Auditors cannot enforce items that are not a program requirement and this is not.
Your counts are going to be off the chart by the very nature of your process and product.......unless your growing room has a negative pressure lock to keep spores from travelling to the rest of the faciltiy.
Evelyn, is there an association of mushroom growers? I would reach out to them and see if there are encountering the same issues at audit. Since this was NOT a NC and merely mentioned in passing---ignore it completely.