2.6 Microbiological sampling and testing

Found in:

Bacon & Gammon / Sourcing and receiving raw materials

2.6.1 The site shall have a standard operating procedure and testing schedule that details the frequency, scope and action limits for the microbiological testing of all incoming pork, bacon and/or gammon raw material.

2.6.2 The Charter participant shall have undertaken a risk assessment to justify the frequency of microbiological sampling.

2.6.3 The microbiological condition of the incoming raw pork material shall meet the following standard:

	Target	Upper Limit
Aerobic colony count (ACC)	<1 x 10⁴ cfu/g	1 x 10⁶ cfu/g

2.6.4 The microbiological condition of incoming bacon and gammon shall meet the microbiological standards set out in clause 11.7 of this module.

2.6.5 Where microbiological results above these targets are found, there shall be evidence that these are subject to trend analysis and that where ongoing issues are highlighted that root cause has been established and corrective action has taken place.

Guidance

The testing schedule shall relate to the number of suppliers and the volume of material and the range of cuts being processed.

Incoming material as internal transfer from co-located sites is exempt from incoming microbiological testing but must be tested as finished product. The exemption does not apply to intra-company transfer between different sites.

Evidence

Review:

2.6.1 Testing schedule.
2.6.2 Copy of risk assessment.
2.6.3 Examples of microbiological reports since the last audit.
2.6.4 Check micro standards for compliance with clause 11.7
2.6.5 Trend analysis and where applicable root cause and corrective action reports.