The best way to identify environmental monitoring sampling points is to use the sanitary zoning concept which divides facility operations into four zones based on the levels of risk.
Zone 1
Refers to all direct food contact surfaces in the plant (e.g., blenders, conveyors, utensils, work tables, etc.). It is not recommended to swab for pathogens in a zone 1 environment because it is not an effective way to capture product contamination.
Total percentage of swab testing from zone 1 is normally 10-20%.
Zone 2
Nonfood-contact areas that are closely adjacent to product contact surfaces should make up zone 2. In general, this is the area where environmental contamination is most likely to affect the safety of the product (e.g., equipment framework, maintenance tools, drip shields and chainguard housings, etc.). The focal point of zone 2 testing will be to validate sanitary design of the equipment. These are the areas in the framework that collect food particles, but are not easily broken down for proper cleaning.
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