protected. Finished product testing is useful if there is reason to
believe that the process is not well under control (e.g. CCP out of
control or recontamination can occur), and as explained above, for
verification of the whole food safety management system.
Testing of finished product samples can indicate whether microorganisms
occur in the food chain and whether control strategies
are effective, i.e. the efficiency of inactivation and
recontamination control. However, if the prevalence and concentrations
are expected to be low, the number of samples taken
should be high in order to be able to gain useful information from
the sampling. At the time the process and environmental pressure
to recontamination is under control, it is more efficient to monitor
the production process than to test finished products only.
Also it is important to have reliable suppliers consistently
providing the required quality of raw materials. This can be achieved
through audits which in particular are focused on the controls
the supplier has in place to reduce the hazard in incoming raw
materials. Records from supplier audits may be useful to document
and assure consistent quality of raw materials supplied to the
factory.
Analyses on incidents, recalls or consumer complaints should be
carried out regularly and can lead to actions aimed at avoiding
repetition of such events. When corrective actions are needed