Hi All,
I know this is THE question on this forum. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around some of this stuff because it is still new to me, however I did register for a class that is not until March so I can better understand this, until then I am at a loss. I have attached the SOP the company uses for their microbial swabbing. The area in question is target specification
Specification (<cfu/cm2) Target 2.0>cfu per sq cm
In their last inspection they were asked to describe what this means, and really I dont know how to read this, haha. I hope to learn and I have been reading as much as I can to understand but the comments left by the auditor were
"There is a written " Microbiological Testing Program SOP#30". It uses a zonal approach for coolers, production packing areas and equipment. The program thresholds are not clearly defined, they are states as APC target 2.0 > CFU/ cm2, acceptable limits could not be explained by auditee."
I understand the SOP does not list acceptable limits, I have looked through some various resources that Charles has linked but I cant really find any acceptable limits for the product , which is citrus (oranges, grapefruit, lemons, etc).
In short, how do I read the target specification, and how do I se t the thresholds when I am not even sure what I am looking for?