5 replies to this topic

[Bingo67]

We are a dry blending season company. Water is not used our production process except to clean.

 

We are doing a scenario where the blend room ( zone 3)  hose used for cleaning has tested positive for Listeria. What are your thoughts on all the production that was processed in blenders where this hose was used to clean it? 

[jcieslowski]

So listeria water contacted a food contact surface (blender)?   I'm not sure what justification you have for this being a zone3 so either I don't understand the setup or this is an important room for production.  

 

What are your currently identified critical or preventative controls?

 

Does your seasoning go through any treatment post blend?   Or is it blended, bagged, and shipped?

[Bingo67]

The whole blend room is not zone 3 ( but the hose is) We were only considering actual food contact surfaces as zone 1 and surrounding equipment as zone 2. 

Your right there is no justification for this to zone 3.... 

 

Would you classify this as zone 1 or 2 because of the water is being used on food contact? There are not kill steps in our facility.  All spices are have a kill still verified by the manufacturer. 

[jfrey123]

Scenarios are fun thought exercises.  What are you specifying as the actual source of contamination, the hose itself?  Are you saying it was the hose exterior or water coming from the inside?  Can I hypothesize it's the exterior of the hose since you're stating it was a Zone 3 finding, likely from being dragged across a floor?  If that's the case, how long passed between the last sanitation vs the positive test?  Do the sanitation crews handle the blender at all after the wash, rinse and sanitization of the blender?

 

This is where scenarios become fun.  In theory, your cleaner and sanitizer should protect the blender from the potential for the cross-contamination.  Your procedures should reflect a need to step up monitoring and testing to confirm, but if the vector tests of the surrounding areas show negative findings, then I would suggest it's likely safe.

[jcieslowski]

If, as per jfrey123's scenario, the OUTISDE of the hose tested positive, then you have to look at your floor cleaning program and see what's going on there / where the gap is, your GMPS to ensure that hands are being washed after handling washdown hoses as required, and look at the general sanitation / any other controls and work flows of those doing the actual mixer cleaning. 

[GMO]

What's your seasoning used in by your customers or consumers? 

 

The reason I ask is because if it's used without cooking in something high water activity it's very different to if it's only ever used as part of a marinade in a factory which is always fully cooked. It's also different from something that's meant to be fully cooked but in consumer hands.

 

That then starts to make me think about what the actual food safety risk is of finding Listeria anywhere in your production area of your facility.