5 Questions with Taylor Lecy, Hygiene Monitoring Field Application Scientist, Neogen

1. Why are EMPs important?

Regulatory agencies and the food industry recognize that manufacturing environments can be sources of contamination, impacting food safety and quality. This can include biological, chemical and physical hazards. Environmental monitoring programs help prevent cross-contamination by sampling and testing facility environments and equipment. These programs support regulatory compliance to help mitigate contamination risks by being more proactive to contamination events and protect both consumer health and brand reputation.

2. What tests and components should be considered in an EMP?

An EMP should be approached holistically to address all relevant food safety and quality risks. Common test methods include adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hygiene monitoring, indicator and spoilage microorganisms, pathogens and allergen testing. Other aspects to consider are identifying sampling sites and sampling frequency, defining sampling procedures, analyzing and trending the results, conducting a root-cause analysis, implementing corrective actions and driving continuous improvement.

3. How do I determine where to sample and how frequently to test?

A cross-functional approach helps map the facility, process and environment to guide risk-based sample site selection and testing frequency. Key risk factors include proximity to food, cross-contamination potential, accessibility for cleaning and testing at the site and equipment age and condition. Based on these, facilities can determine what sites have a higher or lower risk and therefore determine priority and frequency for testing.

4. What sampling practices should be considered for accurate and reliable EMP results?

Good sampling practices are crucial for accurately detecting desired targets and avoiding false negatives. Ensuring team members are properly trained, consistent in sampling practices, and follow the protocol correctly are critical for accurate results. When selecting a sample collection device for microorganism testing, consider sample size, site accessibility and test method compatibility with the media in the collection device, and select an appropriate neutralizing solution if sanitizers are present.

5. What can I do with the data collected?

The data collected is commonly used for immediate decisions about the hygiene and safety conditions of the environment. However, there is opportunity to use available software platforms to analyze and trend the data. With this, data can be proactively transformed into knowledge and actionable information to optimize the process and resources, identify areas of improvement and make changes as trends occur.