Description
Presenter: Laurie Post, PhD, Deibel Labs
Moderator: Liz Hagerman, The Hershey Company
Environmental monitoring programs for pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in food production facilities provide evidence that preventive microbial controls are in place and working. Pathogen surveillance is an integral part of your food safety system allowing you to react to food safety issues before they impact the product. Traditional approaches to environmental sampling for pathogens utilize tools such as sponge swabs taken at designated locations throughout the process facility to track foodborne hazards. These programs are labor intensive and have constraints such as extended times for results that can delay corrective measures when problems occur. Technological advances in food production have allowed for more efficient, sustainable and economic production practices. Likewise, the programs that assure safe food production have also advanced allowing a more strategic use of resources and enhanced ability to detect pathogens imbedded in process environments. Areas of environmental monitoring innovation will be discussed that have the potential to transform food safety management systems.
