Listeria monocytogenes contamination of floors
An interesting Spanish research study has revealed a high incidence of Listeria monocytogenes at a cake plant, even after sanitising! The bacterium was found to be present on floors and floor contact equipment but not food contact surfaces. The findings point to the need not only for exemplary sanitation procedures but also, importantly, infrastructure improvements. This fits in very well indeed with the revised audit focus of BRC Global Standards Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 6, which requires a greater element of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) audit and no doubt will lead to auditors examining sanitation procedure and floor infrastructure. Good quality flooring will help too. Look to find “HACCP International” certification when choosing floors as physical structure and cleanability of the floor are just two of the things that are assessed leading up to certification. You’ll find a link on the front page.
And a link to the report issues in Food Quality News here – http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Public-Concerns/Reducing-water-build-up-on-floors-key-to-Listeria-control-in-cake-factories-study?utm_source=RSS_text_news&utm_medium=RSS%2Bfeed&utm_campaign=RSS%2BText%2BNews
Richard Mallett
[email protected]
