Companies producing Ready-to-Eat food must justify that production processes reduce or eliminate pathogens to an acceptable level. This is completed by establishing science-based evidence that the thermal process prevents food-borne illness from raw materials that may harbor a pathogen and measuring the associated process parameters to affirm the minimum acceptable standards are achieved. These actions would be called Validation and Verification, respectively.
“Spotlight on Baking” is derived from the more comprehensive OpX Leadership Network Products Safety Solutions Group publication, “Validating the Reduction of Salmonella and Other Pathogens in Heat Processed Low-Moisture Foods,” published in September 2012. “Spotlight on Baking” focuses on validation activities needed specifically for baking processes. It is intended to provide practical assistance to food facilities of any size.
