Food safety requirements for ready meals production with fresh vegetables and salad
Hello All!
Want to ask for advise about ready meals production with additional fresh vegetables, salad, herbs. What food safety requirements are needed to be implemented? We are looking for to get fresh vegs and salads chlorine washed. But do this type of raw material require separate pod from ready meals production for depositing these ingredients or can be done in same room? What we should checked, look for, focus on? Any advise? DO anybody else have similar production line?
Thansk,
Ewelina
I have seen a couple of recalls recently because of listeria in ready to eat salads. So that's defintely something to consider. Also leafy greens can pose a high risk - salmonella (bird excrement from the field) and E.coli.
Good supplier approval processes :) - That's key, your suppliers and their systems. Sometimes they inadvertadly contaminate with pathogens in the washing process (yes we found E.coli in wash water, ick, that was chlorinated!!)
Not sure if you can produce in the same room - depends on if the process is classed as high risk? If both processes are high risk, then they should be able to both be produced in the same room?
Hello All!
Want to ask for advise about ready meals production with additional fresh vegetables, salad, herbs. What food safety requirements are needed to be implemented? We are looking for to get fresh vegs and salads chlorine washed. But do this type of raw material require separate pod from ready meals production for depositing these ingredients or can be done in same room? What we should checked, look for, focus on? Any advise? DO anybody else have similar production line?
Thansk,
Ewelina
These types of leafy greens often have issues with fecal coliform, listeria spp. and the occasional salmonella spp. I'd increase sampling for the initial productions just to ensure additional microbiota is not being added indirectly from the addition of higher water activity foods like leafy greens. Id also recommend trialing with a 3rd party lab, no conflict of interest and they're qualified to make suggestions on intervention points, cleaning protocols, chemical use, etc.
Hope this helps!
- PrplomSolved