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Food processors want to achieve safe, validated food products without negatively affecting sensory and nutritional quality. Many food processors undergo a presumed kill step during production using time and temperature correlations, yet most lack the scientific proof that ensures consumer safety. This presentation introduces an emerging scientific-validation system based on thermal processing parameters established for the reduction of <i>Salmonella</i> surrogate <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> in runner type peanuts, first published in <i>Peanut Science</i> (2014) 41:72-84. Continous monitoring with a dynamic control system combined with a series of processing profiles and parameters for nut roasters can achieve an approximate 5-log reduction. Currently, the almond industry has the only mandate for log reduction, a 4-log kill step. However, there is an industry-wide need to ensure log reduction for all nuts and seed processing based on retention time, product temperature, process air temperature, air velocity, product moisture content and process air humidity. The data modeling protocols developed and validated for the nut industry demonstrate new opportunities for applications in grain based RTE products such as snacks and breakfast cereals.