FSMA Fridays: Debunking FSMA's Myths And Gaps (Part Three Of Four)

View the entire webcast or read part one and part two of this series

In part two of FSMA Fridays: Debunking FSMA’s Myths And Gaps, SafetyChain Software’s VP of Marketing, Jill Bender is joined by The Acheson Group’s (TAG) VP of Scientific Affairs, Dr. Peyman Fatemi, and TAG’s Senior Food Safety Manger, Christopher Snabes, discussed common myths, misconceptions, and gaps regarding FSMA. Here, in part three, the trio continues their conversation by focusing on gaps and myths related to FSMA’s environmental monitoring requirements.

Jill: It seems like sanitation has been sort of a hot topic. Certainly, because of the rules that are coming up. It seems like a lot more questions and a lot more concerns around that, which seems very in line, obviously, with what you just shared. I guess it’s going hand-in-hand with what’s coming up next. Peyman, can you go ahead and share with us the next steps as far as some gaps around the environmental monitoring program?

Peyman: I think it does go hand in hand. It does build on how well you're managing your process, you're controlling the process, your food safety plan, process control, your sanitizing, and [environmental monitoring, sanitation, and inspect and validate the sanitation program, and how are you controlling the pathogen within your facility, and using environmental monitoring program.

I think the biggest gaps we see is that, and as Chris mentioned, is that facilities are just not taking a very serious look at where the organism could be hiding and taking that whole seek and destroy mentality, that the FDA and the USDA are taking, in that they're not looking for areas that are difficult to clean or some may be or may not be looking at all of them. It has to do some with the cleanability of the equipment, as Chris mentioned.