Spent Sprout Irrigation Water or In-process Sprouts Testing Supplemental Information

Appendix 10. Sampling and Testing Spent Sprout Irrigation Water or In-process Sprouts Supplemental Information

Examples are offered to facilitate creating a company specific Sampling Plan. The Produce Safety Rule does not require any specific format. Examplesshould be edited to develop an operation specific Plan.

A10.1.Spent Sprout Irrigation Water Sampling Plan –Example

SOP#XYZ / Spent Sprout Irrigation Water Sampling Plan / Page 1 of 2
Operation Name: XXX Sprout Company / Issue Date: / 03/27/2017
Address: 123 Sprouter Road, Yourtown, USA / Supersedes: / 01/17/2017

Objectives

  • Reduce the likelihood of contaminated product entering the food supply through detection of Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7[1]prior to shipment
  • Verify the effectiveness of seed treatments and other controls
  • Meeting regulatory requirements (§ 112.144(b)(1) and § 112.150(b)(3))

Responsible Person

  • Safety manager ortrained Food Safety Team responsible for supervising, conducting or verifying spent sprout irrigation water sampling and testing; and training new operators

Sample Type

  • Spent sprout irrigation water

Materials Needed

  • Labeled, sterile widemouthed 2L non-glass jars
  • Disposable gloves
  • Cooler with ice packs
  • Cleaned working surface
  • Blank testing forms

Sampling Time

  • Approximately 48 hours after the start of sprouting
  • Record sampling time on the record sheet[Example in Appendix 10.4]

What to Sample

  • Every production batch[2]
  • Sprouts – every drum
  • Bean sprouts – every bin started at the same time
  • Record sampling location andsample size on the record sheet

SOP# XYZ / Spent Sprout Irrigation Water and In-Process Sampling Plan / Page 2 of 2
Operation Name: XXX Sprout Company / Issue Date: / 03/09/2017
Address: 123 Sprouter Road, Yourtown, USA / Supersedes: / 01/17/2017

Sampling Procedure forSpent Sprout Irrigation Water

Aseptic sampling procedures for allspent sprout irrigation water samples

  1. Wear clean clothing, sterile gloves and a hair net so as to not contaminate the samples.
  2. Wash hands immediately before sampling, and prior to putting on sterile gloves.
  3. Keep hands away from mouth, nose, eyes, and face while collecting samples. Do not cough or sneeze into the samples.
  4. Protect sampling instruments from contamination before and during use.
  5. Collect sample per procedure below.
  6. After sampling, put samples in a cooler with ice packs.
  7. Discard used gloves.
  8. Fill out Water Testing Submission Form.
  9. Submit water samples to the testing lab within 24 hours of sampling.

Sampling procedures for spent sprout irrigation water from drums

  1. Open the sterile sample container immediatelybefore collecting a 1.5 L or more sample
  2. Close sampling container and seal immediately after collecting the sample.
  3. If collecting samples in a container with a lid, hold the lid in one hand while collecting the sample with another hand. Do not place the lid on a counter.

Sampling procedure for collecting spent sprout irrigation water samples frombean sprout bins

  1. Adjust irrigation water flow rate to approximately 1 gallon/ minute so the water will percolate through the sprouts and collect bacteria on its way down through the bottom of the growth bin.
  2. Wash hands and put on a pair of sterile gloves.
  3. Open a 2L sterile wide-mouth sampling bottle. Hold the lid with one hand and the jar in the other.[3]
  4. Collect a separate water sample from the bottom of each growing bin
  5. Before sampling the next bin, close the bottle immediately,and put in cooler per aseptic sampling procedures above.

Hold and Release Program

All product is held until results are received from the laboratory and released or subjected to the Corrective Action Plan [see example in A10.2Hold and Release Procedure - Example for details]

A10.2.Sprout Product Hold and Release Procedure – Example

SOP# XYZ / Sprout Product Hold and Release Procedure / Page 1 of 2
Operation Name: XXX Sprout Company / Issue Date: / 03/02/2017
Address: 123 Sprouter Road, Yourtown, USA / Supersedes: / 01/17/2017

Responsible Person:

QA or a trained employee

Procedure

The lab must contact at least one agreed upon responsible person at company by phone as soon as they are aware of any presumptive or positive results in company’s Spent Sprout Irrigation Water samples.

  1. When preparing Spent Sprout Irrigation Water (SSIW) samples for the lab, record all samples on a “Lab Sample Tracking & Product Release Sheet”.
  2. Schedule (An example)

SSIW Collection / Product / Result Receiving
Monday / Tuesday
Sample 1
Sample 2
Other
  1. Use a separate sheet for each day for samples sent to lab.
  2. Upon receiving a lab result, match the lot numbers on the result with the ones on the “Lab Sample Tracking & Product Release Sheet”.
  3. Contact supervisors immediately if there is any positive result, the results must be “negative” for Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 (and other tested pathogens).
  4. Initial each negative result in the “Lab Sample Tracking & Product Release Sheet” and record the date.
  5. Responsible person must initial and date the completed “Lab Sample Tracking & Product Release Sheet” to verify the product being shipped has been cleared. No product will leave company’s control until a negative lab result is received and recorded.

A10.3.Spent Sprout Irrigation Water Sampling and testing record – Example

(The following table can be used as a template, recognizing that many different formats are appropriate)

XXX Sprout Company Name
123 Sprouter Road, Yourtown USA
Testing Laboratory Name / 123 Testing Company
Address / 456 Analytical Lane, Nextown USA 23456
Phone and Fax / XXX-XXX-XXXX
E-mail /
Primary Contact Person / Bugs Hunter
Spent Sprout Irrigation Water Test Form
Sample Description / EXAMPLE 48-hour spent sprout irrigation water
Tests run / E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella
Sampled by
Date of Sampling
Date of Sample Submission
Sprout type / Batch # / Trace backLot # / Results / Release Date / Operator Initials
E. coli O157:H7 / Salmonella spp.
Mung beans
Mung beans
Organic alfalfa
Clover
Alfalfa
Alfalfa
Etc.

(Attach all testing results from the lab.)

Reviewer’s Signature: ______Date: ______

Form Effective date: 3/27/2017

Supersedes: 11/20/2016

A10-1

[1]Other pathogens may be added if they present a concern and methods are available

[2] It may be useful to prepare a separate sheet that describes a “batch” for the specific operation.

[3] Alternatively, you may attach the end of a long stick to the bottle and maneuver the bottle underneath the entire bottom of the growing bin to collect a representative sample of the lot.