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Environmental Pathogen Monitoring - Introduction Guide

#3 - Pathogen Hunting, We are Going on a Bear Hunt!

January 31, 2024

Environmental Pathogen Monitoring Series

Tracking a bear whilst wandering randomly in a forest without a strategy or plan is not easy. The same goes for your pathogen hunt. The best way to go on a pathogen hunt is to establish a strict environmental pathogen monitoring program.

Surprisingly, food factories often fail to plan when it comes to environmental pathogen monitoring. Jack Van der Sanden believes that it is an essential tool for food plant safety and the principle is simple: if we search correctly, we increase our chances of finding.

Remember, it is better to find a pathogen in the environment of your food plant, before your product is contaminated.

 

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ON THE SAME SUBJECT

#1 - How Healthy is Your Food Factory

“Prevention is better than cure” is a basic principle which seems rather simple to follow. And yet, as Jack Van der Sanden points out, it is probably easier said than done.
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#2 - Time for Some Listeria Hysteria?

Listeriosis is a serious microbial infection, fatal in 20 to 30% of cases, caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Lately, the food industry has faced an increased number of Listeria incidents: from preventive recalls to the deaths of dozens of people.
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#4 - Help - We Found a Pathogen in Our Plant

Tracking a bear whilst wandering randomly in a forest without a strategy or plan is not easy. The same goes for your pathogen hunt. The best way to go on a pathogen hunt is to establish a strict environmental pathogen monitoring program.
Learn more

#5 - Pathogen Management: Dangerous Assumptions

Environmental pathogens management (EPM) is essential in food factories. Yet, it is often a poorly understood area, surrounded by some dangerous assumptions. As a result, companies may set up suboptimal and counterproductive programs to manage environmental pathogens.
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WRITTEN BY

Jack

International Food Safety Advisor

Jack van der Sanden is an international food safety advisor. He has been part of the global food industry for over 30 years.

After obtaining a food technology degree in The Netherlands, Jack joined the food industry as production supervisor. He migrated to New Zealand in 1990, where he obtained a post-graduate diploma in dairy science and technology at Massey University.

Over the years, he rose through the ranks and ended-up managing production, technical and food safety & quality teams. This cross-functional exposure enabled him to find pragmatic solutions, that strengthened food safety and quality systems in different multinational organizations.

During his career, he has not only advised small and medium-sized businesses in the food industry in New Zealand, but has also managed international consultancy projects in the United States, Europe and China. His expertise has opened many doors for him, from leading training in food safety and quality to mentoring many professionals in the food industry around the world.

During the last 10 years, he has specialised in Environmental Pathogen Management (EPM) and advised food industries in the design of pre-ventive and effective EPM programs.

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