Standard Plate Counts in RTE Foods

Hello, 

Usually when a new product is going to be launched we send a finished product to the lab. We have always received results back with acceptable limits. We are a facility that processes breads and pastries. We did make a new item that has a bit more ingredients to it. A bread with cheese, sundried tomatoes, and artichokes. The SPC Count came in pretty high at 870,000 cfu/g. The coliform count , pH and aW were all acceptable. RTE foods with a high SPC count like the one I just received, should it be considered a hazardous foods? This item will not be refrigerated and consumed as is. I have looked Microbiological guidelines and bread limits but cannot find anything that would suggest if its safe for the public or not. Any information would be helpful. The lab that sent the info sent me some resources to read but still cannot find a definite answer. 

Thanks!

How were the microbial results on the new ingredients that you used in this product? 

Try asking the lab to re-test for APC in triplicate. Any possibility of lab error - bread crumbs when homogenized were mistaken as colonies? 

It is strange to have such high count but no coliform or anything. 

How were the microbial results on the new ingredients that you used in this product? 

Try asking the lab to re-test for APC in triplicate. Any possibility of lab error - bread crumbs when homogenized were mistaken as colonies? 

It is strange to have such high count but no coliform or anything. 

I thought so too since everything else looked normal. The lab did ask if it was cross contaminated by someone touching it or a dirty surface. A re-test will be in order. For RTE foods would you recommend an APC test in place of the SPC? Or would both be a good idea? I'm fairly new to this so I'm still training and learning a lot on the job. 

It does not matter. They are both set-up almost the same way. You should get comparable results.