Week 11 Process, Environment & Equipment Control - We've Got SALSA Sussed
Week 11 Process, Environment & Equipment Control
Hi Everyone!
ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING
In this section we are going to discuss environmental
sampling. This can include hygiene swabbing, water sampling and allergen
swabbing if you handle allergens.
Allergen swabbing is covered in the Contamination &
Cross Contamination Prevention topic covered in Week 5. However, it could be a
good idea to document all swabbing results on one overall schedule.
We will talk specifically about the control of listeria
monocytogenes. In the SALSA standard, this is for high risk and high care sites
only.
High Risk or High Care foods are; ready to eat or ready
to reheat chilled foods. If you are to walk down the chilled isle in a
supermarket, the ready to eat/reheat foods that are stored here are all high
risk. Such as; yogurts, chilled desserts, ready meals, milk, prepacked
sandwiches, cooked meats and fish, pies, fresh juices, dips, fresh cream cakes,
fresh soups, pates etc.
These are the types of product which are vulnerable to
pathogen growth. They need to be chilled to keep them safe.
If your products are high risk foods, then you must have
a segregated high risk / care area on site.
The control measures in these areas are increased to manage
pathogen contamination.
In previous blogs we have briefly mentioned dedicated
changing areas for high risk, along with visually different uniforms,
temperature-controlled rooms for preparation and swabbing regimes after
cleaning. These are all elevated controls to ensure that the finished product
is pathogen free.
Listeria testing is another additional control to protect
high risk products. As is hygiene swabbing after cleaning.
In this section we will discuss how to carry out
environmental swabbing. How frequently you need to do it. How to put a swabbing
schedule together and of course, what you need to show your auditor!
What’s coming next…
|
Supplier
& Raw Material Controls Week 12 –
Supplier Approval |
Environmental Sampling Controls – what do you need to show your SALSA auditor?
Environmental Sampling
Procedure
Environmental Sampling Schedule
Swabbing Test Result
UKAS Accredited Laboratory –
confirmed UKAS methods of testing for Listeria
Environmental Sampling
Procedure
In this procedure you will need to
state what environmental swabbing you are going to carry out.
Listeria Swabbing
If you are a high-risk site then
Listeria testing is required. You can carry out instant result swabbing for Listeria
species, or you can get swabs which you have to send to a lab for the results.
If Listeria species is positive, a lab will have to determine if it is Listeria
Monocytogenes, which is the very harmful pathogen.
Listeria monocytogenes is the
harmful species. It is particularly harmful to pregnant women, babies, people
with low immune systems, or people on treatment that lowers the immune system,
such as chemotherapy. Listeriosis can also cause meningitis, so you can see why
it is so important to ensure it is controlled in your factory. To protect the
consumer and to protect your business!
The type of swabs below are great
as you can carry them out yourself on site, and you do not have to send them
off to the lab unless you get a positive result.
If it is positive, you can send
the swab you have taken, and the laboratory will test for Listeria
Monocytogenes. This saves on taking further swabs as they all cost money.
Of course, you do not want any kind of Listeria present in your factory, so you
have to take action no matter what.
https://www.hygiena.com/insite-other.html
If you have a positive result for
Listeria, then you must ensure the area is fully cleaned and another swab taken
to ensure it has been removed. Listeria can be difficult to eliminate once it
is present on site. This is because Listeria have flagella (like legs) which
aids its movement. And it thrives in water and can survive in very low
temperatures.
If the result from the lab shows it is Listeria Monocytogenes then you must increase the testing frequency and cleaning frequencies until you can prove that the problem has been eliminated.
If the positive result was from food contact equipment, then the food produced on that equipment must be tested for Listeria.
The amount of food which will need
to be tested for Listeria will depend on when you completed your last Listeria
test, and could result in a recall of product.
Listeria can also come from the raw ingredients, so further testing on the ingredients would be suggested as well.
See here the amount of alerts
there are for recalls due to Listeria…..
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/search/alerts?keywords=listeria&fax=
Protein & ATP Swabs
Protein or ATP swabbing should also be carried out, to determine whether the equipment or surface being swabbed has been cleaned to the correct standard. If you are a high-risk site then hygiene swabbing is required.
The below is an example of a
protein swab, which can be used with quick results. They are colour changing –
purple for protein present and green if negative and clear. Simple easy to use
and probably the most cost-effective solution for small businesses.
https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/company-uk/search/?Ntt=protein+swab
I have found a great little
article which describes the difference between ATP & protein tests:
There are protein swabs that you can buy, which state they can test for allergens. However, they do not test for specific allergens. Only for protein being present (which all allergens have). I always advise that these are not the correct way to test for allergens. If you are handling allergens and your control measure is swabbing, then you must test for the specific allergen you are trying to control.
ATP Tests
ATP swab tests require a piece of
equipment called a luminometer. You also have to purchase the swabs, see the
picture below. See a link to them here:
https://www.completesafetysupplies.co.uk/hygiene-monitoring-c19/hygiene-monitoring-c7
Water Sampling
In addition to swab testing, in high risk sites, water sampling is also a good idea.
To do this it is quite simple. Contract a UKAS accredited lab to carry out the water testing for you. Order the water sampling bottles from them. On a set frequency, collect the water samples from your water testing points, i.e. taps used for water as an ingredient, for handwashing and equipment washing.
Ensure this is done aseptically, in other words hygienically, or in a sterile manner, so nothing else contaminates the bottle or lid at the time of collecting the water. Otherwise you could have contamination in the water from hands, surfaces or tap surfaces.
Once collected, store in a fridge until collected by the lab.
Add the water sampling points to
your schedule as well. Save all results on file. Ensure all results are
reviewed on receipt from the lab by someone who understands them.
Allergen Swabbing
In addition, you should state the
allergen swabbing you carry out. This might be on surfaces or equipment in high
or low risk areas, so state where. If you are handling allergens, specific
allergen swabs are required so that you can prove the allergen has been
removed. They have a lower detection level, and are specifically for one of the
14 legislated allergens you are handling:
2. Crustaceans
3. Molluscs
4. Fish,
5. Egg
6. Milk
7. Soya
8. Peanuts
9. Tree nuts: (almond, hazelnut,
walnut, cashew, pecan, brazil, pistachio, macadamia and Queensland nuts),
10. Celery
11. Mustard
12. Sesame seed
13. Lupin
14. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, (and
products derived from these).
Frequency
Add to your procedure, the frequencies of each type of swabbing you carry out.
It is advisable, that to start with, that you carry out testing more frequently, in order to build up data that shows you do not have any issues.
Then after some time, you can review this and reduce the frequency of swabbing, which will of course save you money as well. But only if the results are all clear.
As mentioned earlier, if you have positive results, further testing is required for ALL types of swabbing. If it is a problem such as Listeria, then increase your frequencies until you have built up enough data to prove absence of the pathogen for a period of time, then you can reduce the frequencies again.
Corrective Action
You must document on your procedure what you are going to do if you get a positive result for any one of the abovementioned tests.
If a positive result is found for an ATP/protein test, then a reclean of the area would be required and a retest completed to prove cleanliness.
If a positive result is found for allergen
swab for the purposes of ensuring the equipment is allergen free prior to
using for non-allergen containing product, then a reclean of the area would be
required and a retest completed.
If you have a positive result for Listeria, then you must ensure the area is fully cleaned and another swab taken to ensure it has been removed. If the result from the lab shows it is Listeria Monocytogenes then you must increase the testing frequency and cleaning frequencies to ensure the problem is eliminated.
If the positive result was from
food contact equipment, then the food produced on that equipment must be tested
for Listeria. The amount of food which will need to be tested for Listeria will
depend on when you completed your last Listeria test, and could result in a
recall of product if any of the product is positive. This is where, if you have
saved product samples from each batch of product, the samples come in very
useful. You can send them off to the lab for testing and confirm positive or
negative.
Listeria can also come from the raw ingredients, so further testing on the ingredients would be suggested as well. If you can find the source, then further controls can be implemented for the raw materials as well, such as fruit, veg or salad washing.
Swabbing Schedule
Having a schedule for all testing you carry out, is essential. You need to show your auditor what you have completed, and what is scheduled for the rest of the year. You can colour code for positive and negative results, and for future scheduled tests to be completed, an example is detailed below.
Test Results
Whatever tests you carry out, you must retain the results for them all as evidence.
If you are doing inhouse swabs, whether allergen, ATP, Protein or Listeria, writing the results onto the schedule is great. However, in addition, taking a photo of the negative / positive swab is also evidence to prove it has been completed. Save these on file on your computer with the relevant date and test type as the file name.
All results received back from the lab also need to be filed on your computer as evidence too.
Make sure when received the test results from the lab are reviewed by someone who knows what they are looking for. Also you need to make sure that it is clear that a retest was completed for all positive tests received.
UKAS Accredited laboratory
UKAS accredits laboratories to the ISO standard: ISO17025. When you are contracting their services make sure the methods used fall under the scope of this standard.
The lab will have a UKAS number just like the calibration services for scales and probes. The lab will be able to send you full details of all methods used. You can request this and keep this on file. In addition, retain the up to date certificate which has their UKAS testing laboratory number on it.
If you need assistance, please
feel free to contact me! On that note, that is the end of this section. Please
do not hesitate to ask any questions.
Be careful and stay safe!
Ruth
Ruthshawconsultingltd@gmail.com
07732
966 836
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