Annual Product Testing

Hello,

My facility performs annual finished product adulterant testing in March using a composite of finished product lots manufactured in the prior year, which have already been distributed to customers. The composite is analyzed for heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, and microbiological hazards. A positive result could necessitate a recall of all lots represented in the composite.

The site is evaluating its Monitoring Program to identify alternative sampling and testing strategies that reduce potential recall exposure while maintaining regulatory and food safety compliance.

What best practices or alternative approaches have you used to limit recall scope associated with post-distribution composite testing? How could I conduct the annual testing in March without using material from the previous year?

Thank you!

What kind of products and raw materials are we talking about?

While I've seen heavy metals as part of annual screenings, mycotoxins, pesticides and microbiological hazards have always been part of per batch testing in the places where I've worked. If you decide on an annual monitoring plan, it should be backed up by a significant history of negative test results that show the risk is small enough for testing to be scaled down like this.

So can you elaborate how your facility came to work this way? Do suppliers do any testing, do you do any testing other than the annual test to confirm the results your suppliers give are truthful?

If your composite finished products contain any herbs and spices, I wouldn't recommend testing for pesticide contamination only once a year.