Food- On going
environmental
monitoring
programme
(EMP)!
The requirements and the
Misconceptions!
Kiagus Arta
Food safety and quality enthusiastic
Environmental monitoring programme
Definitions
Verification The application of methods, procedures, tests and other evaluations, in addition to monitoring, to
.
determine whether a control or measure is or has been operating as intended.
Trend An identified pattern of results
Sampling plan A documented plan defining the number of samples to be selected, the acceptance or rejection criteria
and the statistical confidence of the result.
Monitoring A planned sequence of observations or measurements of defined control parameters to assess whether
predefined limits are being met.
High-risk area A physically segregated zone (or area), designed to a high standard of hygiene, where practices relating
to personnel, ingredients, equipment, packaging and environment aim to prevent product contamination
by pathogenic micro-organisms.
High-risk product A chilled or frozen ready-to-eat/ready-to-heat product or food where there is a high risk of growth of
pathogenic micro-organisms.
Environmental monitoring A programme for the evaluation of the effectiveness of controls on preventing contamination from the
manufacturing environment (open product areas and or ready to eat products)
Pathogens Microorganisms
Target ▪
▪
Escherichia. Coli.
Salmonella
microorg
▪ Listeria monocytogenes
▪ Hepatitis A
▪ Staphylococcus aureus
▪ Campylobacter jejuni
anisms
▪ Clostridium botulinum
▪ Bacillus cereus
▪ Norovirus
▪ Clostridium Perfringens
▪ Yersinia enterocolitica
Spoilage organisms
▪ Yeasts
▪ Moulds
Opportunistic microorganisms
Which foods are prone to which pathogens? And why?
Product susceptibility
Credit : Roy Betts, Campden BRI
- When it comes to defining pathogen testing, we must ask more
questions:
▪ What organisms are we likely to find in particular foods and
ingredients?
▪ Which of these will constitute a risk to consumers?
▪ Which may survive in particular conditions or retain the ability to grow?
▪ Which have caused problems in the past?
Contamination issues: Which foods are prone to which pathogens? And why? - a blog from Campden BRI
- Risk assessment shall be used to:
▪ identify relevant hazards
▪ define suitable monitoring techniques
▪ define appropriate monitoring frequencies
Target locations
Ready to eat products
Open product areas
DO I NEED AN ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM IN MY FOOD FACILITY?!
- An easy way to determine whether you need an environmental monitoring program is to answer the following questions (a “yes”
would suggest that you may need one)
▪ Does your process have a kill-step (e.g. cooking)
▪ Is your product exposed to the environment after the kill step and before packaging?
▪ Is your product a collection of ready-to-eat products combined to produce a ready-to-eat food that doesn’t
include a kill-step?
▪ If your product is refrigerated, is it one that is conducive to the growth of listeria monocytogenes (e.g. deli
meat, raw cheese/milk, seafood, sprouts)
Credit of the above method :- FDA - Environmental Monitoring in Food Processing —FDA Reader
EXAMPLES OF PRODUCTS WHERE RISK ASSESSMENT MAY ESTABLISH THAT ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING IS NOT REQUIRED INCLUDE:
▪ salt and sugar in their dry ‘pure’ form
▪ edible oils with no added ingredients
▪ fully enclosed production facility, where product is received packed, is processed in its packaging
and leaves the site in the same packaging
▪ whole vegetables, sold unwashed
Zone Concept to Illustrate Areas of Highest Risk
(Zone 1) to Lowest Risk (Zone 4) for Product
Contamination
Open product areas
Ready to eat
products
Example of EMP zoning sampling plan zone sampling
Test
Corrective action
Sample location Parameters to be methods and Acceptable
Zones Frequency in case of
and sup area tested monitoring limits
deviation
techniques
Zones which the Pre-defined valid
Open product According to the According to
product is handling Based on the risk scenario Like - recall
Product susceptibility E.g Monthly the validation
areas opened to assessment products - quarantine
study like salmonella study
environment suspected area
Pre-defined valid
scenario Like –
All areas according According to the According to increase the
Ready to eat Based on the risk
to zone Product susceptibility E.g Weakly the validation frequencies of
products assessment
classification study like listeria study cleaning Revalidation
for cleaning
programme
[Link]
Contamination issues: Which foods are prone to which pathogens?
And why? - a blog from Campden BRI
JO INT FAO/WHO FOO D STANDARDS PROGRAMME. CX/FH
08/40/5 of October 2008.
World Health Organization Factsheets (Microorganisms). URL:
[Link] room/fact-sheets
[Link]
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