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Kesar Digum

Environmental Sampling in Food Plants

Listeria doesn't hide only in the product - it establishes itself on surfaces, in drains and in the plant's damp corners, and from there it contaminates the food again and again. Periodic environmental sampling catches the bacterium on equipment and in the production environment before it reaches the product. Kesar Digum collects surface samples through certified samplers and sends them for testing at an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory, nationwide.

Schedule Environmental Sampling Call: 08-9332299

At a Glance

Sampling typeSurface samples from equipment, floors, drains and the production environment
Part ofA proactive quality control program and HACCP
Typical frequencyPeriodic, based on the plant's risk-zone map
Primary riskListeria that establishes itself in the environment and contaminates the product again
Environmental Sampling

Catch Listeria before it reaches the product

Listeria monocytogenes is a stubborn bacterium that can survive routine cleaning and establish itself on surfaces, in drains, on cart wheels and inside machines - mainly in cold, damp areas. Environmental sampling is a preventive tool that detects the bacterium in the production environment before it reaches the finished product, so you can fix the source of the contamination. Kesar Digum builds a sampling-zone map with you, collects surface samples and returns a report that shows exactly where to direct your cleaning.

Who this service is for
Food plants Dairies Meat and poultry producers Salad and ready-meal producers Cold storage facilities Chilled food producers Fish and seafood producers Industrial bakeries
What the service includes

What we sample in the environment

Systematic sampling of the risk areas, based on a food plant's zoning model.

Listeria surface samples

Swab surface samples from equipment, machines and contact zones, to detect Listeria and contaminants in the production environment.

Drains and damp areas

Sampling drains, damp corners and standing-water points - Listeria's favorite spots to take hold.

Risk-zone mapping

Building a sampling map by zone, from the area in direct contact with the food out to the far environment, to focus your monitoring.

Integration with line testing

Combining environmental sampling with product and raw-material testing, for a complete food-safety picture of the plant.

Full Details
When it's needed

When does a plant sample its environment?

Environmental sampling is a preventive tool, not just a reaction to an incident. These are the common situations:

Environmental monitoring program

A plant runs an ongoing environmental sampling program as part of its HACCP, to monitor Listeria and contaminants on the line over time.

Periodic

Cleaning and disinfection verification

Sampling surfaces after a thorough cleaning confirms that the sanitation process actually removed the microbial load.

Process-based

After a change or renovation

Installing equipment, renovating or changing the line can expose new contamination hotspots that justify targeted sampling.

Event-based

Following up on a positive finding

A Listeria finding in the product or the environment requires intensified follow-up sampling until the source is traced and fully cleaned.

Intensified
What's at risk

What happens when Listeria takes hold in the environment?

Environmental Listeria that goes unmonitored becomes a permanent source of product contamination:

Repeated product contamination

Listeria that has settled on a surface or in a drain keeps contaminating product batches over and over, even when the ingredients are fine.

Severe illness from listeriosis

Listeria is especially dangerous to pregnant women, the elderly and the immunocompromised, and can cause severe, life-threatening illness.

Recall and production shutdown

A Listeria hotspot discovered late leads to a recall, a deep clean and a full production shutdown until the source is found and eliminated.

Schedule Sampling

Need an environmental sampling program?

We'll build a sampling-zone map with you, collect surface samples across the production environment and return a report that directs your cleaning - as part of a preventive quality control program, nationwide.

Schedule Environmental Sampling
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Get a quote for environmental sampling

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