7.4 Microbiological standards testing

Found in:

Quality Assured Pork Sausages / Quality and technical standards

7.4.1 The site shall have a sampling plan and testing regime in place for the routine monitoring of the microbiological compliance of each product type listed on the site’s BMPA Quality Assured Pork Sausage certificate of conformity.

7.4.2 The microbiological content of the final product shall be verified against the finished product specification. The following microbiological standards are given as a guide for typical targets and limits appropriate to products covered under this module:

	Target	Limit	Minimum Frequency
ACC	<5 x 10⁵cfu/g	5 x 10⁶cfu/g	Weekly
Yeast /moulds	<5 x10³ cfu/g	5 x 10⁴ cfu/g	Weekly
E.coli	<50 cfu/g	5 x 10² cfu/g	Monthly
Salmonella	Absent/10g	Absent/10g	Monthly

7.4.3 It is recognised that ingredients such as raw vegetables, fresh herbs, fermented dairy products etc may mean that this microbiological guidance is not appropriate. Where such ingredients are used, the charter participant shall set start and end of life documented microbiological targets and limits that allow the stated product shelf life to be achieved without detriment to product safety or quality.

7.4.4 Where on-going non-conformance trends are established there shall be evidence that this is subject to root cause investigation and corrective action.

Guidance

Sampling plans for shelf life and finished product testing shall be developed and these shall cover the scope of approved products listed on the Certificate of Conformity. For further guidance refer to the relevant legislation pertaining to meat preparations and the specified requirements laid down in the microbiological criteria in foodstuffs regulation.

For clarity, recipe type refers to a product category i.e. Cumberland, Pork and Herb, Lincolnshire sausages would be viewed as separate recipes but where the same recipe is packed to different weights only one analysis shall be required.

Evidence

Records shall cover the period since the last audit. Although the accreditation element shall have been covered under the core requirement, the site shall retain a copy of the laboratory’s accreditation and the scope of the tests of the certification. Sampling schedules aligned to the scope of approved products and microbiological reports since the last audit. Evidence of corrective actions taken where non-conformance has been highlighted.