Survey of Environmental Monitoring Practices in Fresh Produce Packinghouses

Environmental Monitoring Programs (EMPs) have been historically implemented in processing facilities, with more recent application in raw agricultural commodity packing operations. EMPs verify effectiveness of sanitation programs and reduce harborage/niches of microorganisms. While benefits of EMPs are well recognized, there has not been a formal survey of produce packers adopting these programs to determine their scope, including information on sampling targets and frequency of sampling by environmental zone. Approximately 62.5% of produce packers (40/62 packinghouse; 5/10 field-pack) who responded to the survey indicated they had an EMP. ATP was the most common monitoring technique used for zone 1 surfaces, followed by generic Escherichia coli, Listeria species, and aerobic plate counts. A shift was noted towards addition and greater reliance on pathogen targets (e.g., Salmonella) for zones 2–4. While 100% of produce packers with an EMP had corrective actions (CA) identified, 42% reported never needing to implement a CA, suggesting produce packers were always in conformance. This result indicates a potential shortfall in EMP rigor, as occasional failures are expected. Overall, survey findings can be used as a baseline to assess changes in EMPs over time and to emphasize potential points of confusion when conducting outreach to the fresh produce industry.