Environmental Monitoring Programs Despite advances in food safety, foodborne illness outbreaks remain common occurrences around the globe, affecting millions of people and causing thousands of fatalities every year. A substantial number of these outbreaks result from poor environmental controls and/or hygiene practices. Microorganisms are generally introduced into the food processing environment through raw materials, pests, air, water, and employees. To ensure the production of high-quality, safe food products it is critical that the hygienic environment in a food processing facility be maintained and monitored. An environmental monitoring program (EMP) can be used to assess the effectiveness of the overall hygienic practices in a facility and to provide information needed to prevent possible microbial contamination of food products. An EMP provides valuable data (source and concentration) on indicator and spoilage organisms and pathogens of concern in a timely manner and is designed to validate cleaning and sanitizing frequencies and other Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR 110). Having an EMP does not guarantee food safety. However, it will provide critical information needed to initiate appropriate corrective actions for preventing contamination of finished products by microbial hazards. This article provides insight into how an effective EMP can be implemented in a food-handling facility to reduce the risk of microbial contamination of finished products. |