6 replies to this topic

[IzahelCamps]

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to know where I could find any information about a product not ready to eat  if exist as a data  time  of  exposicion without refrigeration?

 

We produce Masa corn  and this product is distributed locally (2 hours logistic time) we monitoring the PH mayor of 11 this product need to be cooked before of eat (tamales, gorditas) Actually after the product is produced is sent to our internally wh (same location) to environmental temperatures , means is not refrigerated , after to be produced .. recently i was audited by the FDA and they concerned for pathogens growing if the product is not refrigerated since in the stores this product is refrigerated ...

Thank you in advance for your support..

I'm contacting a laboratory to make a study of pathogens ..

[PrplomSolved]

W are an ISO 17025 accredited food microbiology laboratory. We'd love to help with a little more information about your NRTE foods and how you process/package. 

Edited by Simon, 04 August 2023 - 12:01 PM.
removed contact details

[Brothbro]

If I'm understanding you correctly, you store your finished product at ambient temperatures before shipping out to stores where you require that it be refrigerated? I would opt for investment in refrigerated storage of your product while on site. In this situation I don't think you'll be able to simply use a research paper to prove that your product can remain safe for X amount of hours in the danger zone. For critical food safety issues like that you'd really need to do an extensive validation project.

 

Why does your company store the product at ambient temperatures, but then require supermarkets to keep the product refrigerated? If the answer is that constructing a cooler is too expensive, you'll find that defense won't get you very far. 

[IzahelCamps]

We have refrigeration rooms , but unfornately we don't have trucks with refrigeration , so means if we refrigerated the product and this is shipped in environmental temperatures we will increased a risk for the thermal shock of temperature change  , the room is maintained to 40↑ f and the temperature in  Texas is around of 100↑F or more ..  thank you anyway .. we will started to having  trucks with coolers since was a finding by the FDA we need to do it asap.

As per the FDA auditor he mentioned to me no matter is not a no ready to eat product , need to be refrigerated and treated similar to the meat.. is what he said..

still i don't understand since the product need to be cooked to certain temperature before of eat I tough in case a bacteria is in the product you have the kill step during the cooking process .. thanks

[Scampi]

We have refrigeration rooms , but unfornately we don't have trucks with refrigeration , so means if we refrigerated the product and this is shipped in environmental temperatures we will increased a risk for the thermal shock of temperature change  , the room is maintained to 40↑ f and the temperature in  Texas is around of 100↑F or more ..  thank you anyway .. we will started to having  trucks with coolers since was a finding by the FDA we need to do it asap.

As per the FDA auditor he mentioned to me no matter is not a no ready to eat product , need to be refrigerated and treated similar to the meat.. is what he said..

still i don't understand since the product need to be cooked to certain temperature before of eat I tough in case a bacteria is in the product you have the kill step during the cooking process .. thanks

The cold chain is designed to REDUCE THE RISK of pathogen growth during that process

 

if you're product warms up-------pathogens start to multiply--------and then will contaminate everything they touch, and run the risk of improper cooking techniques not killing all of them

 

You are required to sell "unadulterated" goods-----------period

[G M]

...

still i don't understand since the product need to be cooked to certain temperature before of eat I tough in case a bacteria is in the product you have the kill step during the cooking process .. thanks

 

One major reason is toxin production.  If bacteria grow and produce toxins while they are not refrigerated, killing the bacteria with cooking only "solves" one potential problem, many toxins can not be deactivated with heat.

[IzahelCamps]

Thank you everyone for your feedback to understand more about the issue .

management team already taking action about it to keep refrigerated it during all the process including distribution.

Is appreciated your feedback.