Is there a minimum number requirement for Env swabbing per year?

Hi folks,

As the title says - does BRCGS have a specific requirement on how many swabs must be done quarterly or yearly? We are a small, low risk confectionery and I don't want to overdo it. 

Like most of the GFSI schemes, the number of swabs (locations) and frequency are based on risk.   You will need to be able to defend what you have developed.  I wouldnt mention "small" tho.  LOL.   

I like to list all of the possible areas where samples can be taken.   Then I assign risk / priority, organisms, methods, frequency, etc. to those sites.  

You need enough spots, sampled at a high enough frequency, to prove your EM program is effective.  Then once your plant is too clean for too long, you'll want to dive into "discretionary" or randomized swabs of non-routine locations to prove you're actively looking for it to prevent it from hiding somewhere.

In short, most auditors encourage overdoing it and will scrutinize heavily if they feel they can argue you're not doing enough.

For years we did at least 100 swabs per year, with no positives for pathogens or high indicators. This year we did less than 25 as the results were always consistent. Would I be in trouble? I have even swabbed the dirtiest places (drains, restrooms etc.) with no action level results. 

I do zones 2-4 quarterly, but I have almost two decades of evidence built up.   Zone 1 I atp 3 places once a week, which by now every auditor has told me is overkill and I can dial back, but at that number I still don't use all the swabs before the expire anyway.

I have dialed it down to only doing zone 4 as investigatory.   Though every now and then I swab there just for S's and G's.....