Environmental Tests in Manufacturing Process

Good Morning Everyone , Recently we had a FDA Audit and as a finding was that we need to make the environmental test , anyone we working to be certified by SQF .. We need to  Start developing an environmental program where you collect environmental samples from different zones..

I would like recommendations  type of samples: Listeria , e coli , *salmonella?

if you send to external laboratories or make the tests internally ..

We already buy an equipment  Hygiena System sure plus  to make some swabs ..

thank you in advance everyone for you support and help 

Depends on your product, process, equipment, etc.

I do ATP/Protein swabs on food contact surfaces weekly for Zone 1, which is food contact surfaces.   Zone 2 is area immediately surrounding food contact surfaces, Zone 3 further out, Zone 4 warehousing, etc.   I swab zone 2 quarterly for listeria, salmonella, apc, enterobac, and Y&M.   Zone 3 I do listeria and salmonella, and Zone 4 is investigative only.   I also do finished product quarterly for plate count, coliforms, e. coli, listeria, salmonella, Y&M, and staph, and I do water testing annually.  I send out for testing.

Again, this is very dependent upon your business as stated above, and what works for one will not work for all.   I am lucky and work for a very low risk non RTE product.   Your product may not work at all with what I do.

Did you know if exist swabs for salmonella test? or need to be an external laboratory due to the risk? I'm working in a company that make flour and corn tortillas 

The organisms you choose are based on risk to product.  if you look at FDA appendix 1 you will find their suggestions ((e. coli, salmonella, listeria (for soft tortillas)) You could pick one of these or use multiple pathogens.   You could also use indicator organisms such as coliform or Enterobacteriaceae.

There is not a simple swab test for salmonella.   There are test kits and instruments such as the 3m MDS.   I would not suggest you go down this route unless you have a decent background in microbiology.  

Conducting "food safety" testing opens up some more SQF requirements for you to consider.  (see sqf 2.4.4.2)  There is also the risks of conducting pathogen testing in-house.  I would suggest you send them out of house for testing.  

I would also suggest that you review some of the industry standard documents for building an environmental monitoring program.  FDA draft guidance for control of listeria, 3m Enviromental monitoring handbook, etc.  there are several out there.

Thank you for you reply , and all you feedback and suggestions.

In my previous work , we use Petrifilm  3m to  make some checks ups  / have someone to do it  monthly 

and also the swabs for cleaning verifications and allergens .

But never with salmonella due to the risks ..but during  my fda audit  (actual work)was a finding that we don't make here environmental verifications .

I will looking for an external lab..

thank you again for all your help !

Did you know if exist swabs for salmonella test? or need to be an external laboratory due to the risk? I'm working in a company that make flour and corn tortillas 

If you test in-house (hopefully accredited) or do just some general indication testing you should be fine, but it would (in my mind) be a conflict of interest for you to provide your own data. Especially if you ever have data points that don't quite add up as this will likely draw more attention than if a 3rd party laboratory conducted your testing for you. However this is more of an opinion as to the level of RISK I would be willing to take. Additionally, swabbing would be a method of sample collection for primarily environmental samples, not necessarily a type of test.

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