Environmental monitoring is an essential activity to prevent microbial contamination. It provides insight into a facility’s microbiological profile as well as a verification of the effectiveness of a facility’s overall sanitation and microbial control programs.

The recording of the ASTA Webinar on How to Develop a FSMA-Ready Environmental Monitoring Program is available for purchase as a resource in addition to the ASTA Guidance on Environmental Monitoring Programs, which is available for download below. This guidance provides information for spice companies on how to develop and implement an environmental monitoring program.

FAQs on Listeria

Information published as a part of FSMA implementation related to environmental monitoring programs has raised questions about whether spice companies should also be looking at Listeria monocytogenes as a potential biological hazard requiring a preventive control. Although Listeria monocytogenes is not a pathogen that has historically been found in spices, FDA regulations and guidance for ready-to-eat (RTE) foods set forth requirements that could apply to spices in some instances. The FAQ document is a resource to help companies determine if they should consider Listeria monocytogenes as a hazard requiring a preventive control in their food safety plans.