Developing an Environmental Food Monitoring Programme Training Course

The course will give delegates the tools to create a new or develop an existing environmental monitoring program.
This is a practical course aimed at all disciplines in the food business, such as operations, technical/quality, engineering, and hygiene. You will learn the background of environmental monitoring and will understand who must be involved when building an environmental monitoring program and how to develop the sampling program. This course provides you with the techniques to set up and monitor environmental results and how to react to positive results. Plus, when to consider factors that may cause changes to the program when changes occur in the environment. On completion of this course, you will be able to develop your own environmental monitoring program.

How will I benefit?

  • Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:
    Explain what an environmental monitoring programme is, why it is necessary in food safety management and have a basic understanding of microbiology (legislative/regulatory requirements/industry standards such as GFSI expectations)
  • Recognize the 7-step approach to designing an environmental monitoring programme
  •  Create a swabbing matrix based on zones, to decide on the swabbing points for different locations (where), times (when to take) and dates; using the right equipment and methods (introduction to sampling methods, but not specific companies or equipment); sampling of other materials
  • Identify the roles and responsibilities for the members of staff to join an environmental monitoring team
  • Map their factory environment, with people flows, waste routes, hygiene zones, types of equipment (fixed or moveable) to be able to create the correct swabbing locations (historical information, or new planning)
  • Know how to review the results, trend the data using schedules and hot spot maps and conduct an investigation
  • Maintain the programme - Establish the correct routines, and when to change, what happens if there is a problem/change in the environment.