how to establish a pathogen environmental monitoring program
DESCRIPTION
If you work in food growing, food processing, or food distribution, there are many concerns to consider about the presence of pathogens and contaminants in the same environment as your product. This presentation answers frequently asked questions about establishing a pathogen environmental monitoring program for your facility.TRANSCRIPT
Questions to ask
• What are the environmental sources of spoilage organisms?
• Where is the presence of foodborne pathogens or their indicators in the environment and on the equipment?
• How effective are the cleaning and sanitation practices?
• How frequent should the cleaning and sanitation be practiced?
Facility environment
• Pathogens can enter as raw materials, ingredients, pests, or by people.– Persist in niches and hot spots and
moves through the facility by traffic flow, dust, and condensation
Perfect recipe for contamination!
Microbiological concerns
• Pathogens– Salmonella spp.– Listeria spp.– E. coli 0157:H7
• Indicator organisms: non-pathogenic, indicators for contamination– Aerobic plate count– Coliforms– E. coli
PEM zoning concept – Zone I
• Zone I: direct or indirect product contact surfaces after the lethality or microbial reduction step and before the product is sealed in the primary package
PEM zoning concept – Zone II
• Zone II: non-product contact sites adjacent to Zone I
PEM zoning concept – Zone III
• Zone III: non-product contact sites adjacent to Zone II, areas of cross-contamination risk
PEM zoning concept – Zone IV
• Zone IV: areas remote from Zone I
PEM zoning concept examples
Zone I – slicers, conveyors, peelers, strip
tables, utensils, work tables, racks, employee hands, pumps, hoppers,
fillers
Zone II – exterior of equipment, refrigeration units, framework,
equipment housing
Zone III – phones, air return covers, hand trucks, forklifts, walls, floors, drains
Zone IV – cafeteria, locker rooms, halls, warehouse, loading dock
Sampling methods for PEM
• The use of proper sampling methods is crucial for ensuring reliable and defensible data.– Surface sampling: sponges and swabs– Product residue scraping and dust
samples–Water and rinse samples– Air samples
Establish your baseline
• Investigational sampling is intensive to establish a baseline.– It is not uncommon to sample
25-50 target areas in each zone everyday for a
month.
• By determining the baseline counts, it will be established what is unacceptable and acceptable under normal operating conditions.
• Move to routine sampling; rotate sites and test each site 4 times a year.
Sampling Diagram
Zone Sampling site Microbiological analyses
Minimum sampling frequency
Number of samples
I Direct product contact site
Indicator organisms and pathogens under
special situations
Weekly Line dependent
II non-product contact sites
adjacent to Zone I
Pathogens Weekly 10-15
III non-product contact sites
adjacent to Zone II, areas of cross-
contamination risk
Pathogens Weekly 10-15
IV areas remote from Zone I
Pathogens Monthly 5-10
How valuable is a PEM program?
• It is more dependable and concrete to monitor the environment than to depend on finished product testing only.– Can help identify and eliminate
harborage niches and hot spots.– Can demonstrate food safety competence
to visitors (auditors, buyers, regulators).– Verifies that sanitation, GMP’s, and pre-
requisite programs are working in competence.
Related information
Video instructions on how to perform environmental sampling
The dos & don'ts of environmental sampling
Video instructions on how to sample water & ice
How to sample for laboratory water testing
Questions?
For additional information, please contact us at 352.372.0436 or visit our website at abcr.com