Integrated Environmental Monitoring: Assessing the Risk of Food Safety Concerns in your Facility

March 29, 2024

Modern food safety risk-based and preventive programs are key to stopping the contamination of raw materials, ensuring adequate inactivation during processing, stopping growth during shelf life, and avoiding cross-contamination of the environment. Environmental monitoring programs (EMPs) are recognized as a critical component of these preventive controls. Although traditionally associated with controlling environmental pathogens, EMPs can extend beyond that scope, covering various testing objectives and serving as a comprehensive strategy to help protect the safety and quality of food.

In our latest webinar, Food Safety technical experts Gabriela Lopez Velasco and Ana Maria Lozano go into detail about how to develop a holistic and integrated environmental monitoring program and how to specifically fit it to your facility. Below are key takeaways from their presentation.

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Implementation of an EMP is an important element in preventing contamination of the finished product.

Modern environmental monitoring should be addressed following a holistic approach tailored to your facility to guarantee the quality and safety of the foods manufactured. The fundamental concept of this process is to shift the mindset that the environment is a source of a hazard that can get into the finished product. If the hazards are found in the environment, they will find their way into the finished product — therefore, it is imperative to keep hazards out of areas that could lead to contamination.

EMPs should have a goal to find an issue.

Sampling and testing of the environment and equipment within a food manufacturing facility is done to prevent cross-contact contamination of the product within the environment. It is achieved through the routine testing of contact surfaces and adjacent areas. This requires the creation of risk-based sample plans, sufficient testing, and using proper testing methods.

You are already collecting data; use it!

Placing data in time and space is necessary to obtain insights about your facility, the products that are manufactured, and the effectiveness of preventive controls and may lead to continuous improvement. Sharing EMP information supports a strong food safety culture. It shows staff their positive impacts on performance and that goals are being met and allows management to recognize staff and communicate opportunities for improvement.

To learn more about why to implement an EMP, what to include in an EMP, where to sample, how to collect samples, and what to do with the overall data, watch the Integrated Environmental Monitoring webinar to get all your questions answered.

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About the Speakers

Gabriela Lopez Velasco, Field Technical Service Specialist, Neogen®

Gabriela is a Senior Technical Services Specialist at Neogen, supporting the United States and Canada Division. She provides guidance and technical support for the implementation and execution of analytical methods provided by Neogen. Previously, Gabriela worked as a Global Technical Applications Specialist for 3M Food Safety on different R&D projects, collaborating with product developers and regulatory teams in product validations internally and externally. In this position, she also worked on preparing validation packages to support matrix extensions. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Chemistry and a Master of Sciences degree in Biochemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She obtained her Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Gabriela also worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Postharvest Research Center at UC Davis. She is also active in various AOAC and ISO working groups, providing input on allergen and pathogen detection methods.

Ana Maria Lozano, Technical Services Representative, Neogen

Ana is a Technical Services Representative at Neogen, supporting the United States and Canada Division. She has over 18 years of experience working in different food industries, including dairy, water, and condiments. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Los Andes and a Master of Sciences degree in Food Safety and Quality Assurance from the University of Guelph. Ana is also an internal auditor of ISO 9001 and a SQF practitioner with diverse expertise ranging from quality assurance, quality control, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

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Category: Food Safety, Consumer Goods, Dietary Supplements, Food & Beverage, Pet Food, Allergens, Microbiology, Pathogens, Environmental Monitoring