Validation of Antimicrobial Interventions for Small and Very Small Processors: A How-to Guide to Develop and Conduct Validations

It is important to assure that antimicrobial interventions applied on/into foods to control pathogenic microorganisms are functioning properly and achieving the desired goal of preventing, reducing and/or eliminating microbial hazards associated with a defined food product. This approach is necessary both to ensure that antimicrobial interventions are having the desired positive effect on food safety and to provide assurance to the processor that the investment in food safety is in fact providing the appropriate benefit for the investment. Validation is a fundamental component of the HACCP system, in that those processors currently required to have HACCP plans in place are also required to validate their HACCP plans. This manuscript provides a practical approach for developing validation protocols to evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions, especially for small and very small processors.