General

• Environmental Monitoring (3M) Downloadable handbook, products, resources, validation, videos
• FDA Small Entity Compliance Guide (PDF 314 KB) Product testing and environmental monitoring (21 CFR 117.165 (a)(2) and (a)(3)).  These are verification activities, but are only required when appropriate to the food, the facility, the nature of the preventive control, and the role of that control in the facility’s food safety system. Environmental monitoring generally would be required if contamination of a ready-to-eat food with an environmental pathogen is a hazard requiring a preventive control.
• FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food, 1st. ed. 2016 (Chapter 11 and the Appendix of this book may also provide useful info) (Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance) (PDF 2.4 MB)
• Grocery Manufacturers Association (now Consumer Brands Association) The documents below, and others, are available as Publications in their Online Store:
  • Control of Salmonella in Low-Moisture Foods Guidance Document 
  • Listeria monocytogenes: Guidance on Environmental Monitoring and Corrective Actions in At-risk Foods

Guidance for Industry

• Almonds:  The Almond Board of California has established a Pathogen Environmental Monitoring program (PEM Book) (PDF 823 KB) (in Spanish PDF 1.7 MB) and the PEM Go-To Guide (PDF 1 MB) and in Spanish (PDF 175 KB)
• Fresh Produce:  
  • Considerations for Fresh Produce Dry-pack Environmental Monitoring Programs (EMPs) (United Fresh Produce Association, PDF 249 KB)
  • Guidance on Environmental Monitoring and Control of Listeria for the Fresh Produce Industry, 2nd edition (United Fresh Produce Association) (PDF 1.9 MB)
• Ready to Eat Foods:  Draft Guidance for Industry: Control of Listeria  monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods (FDA Jan. 2017) (PDF 853 KB)
• Seafood:  Ready to Eat Seafood Pathogen Control Manual (Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.) (National Fisheries Institute, April 2018) (PDF 4.6 MB)

Sampling

• Environmental Sampling in Food Facilities Martinez, G; International Food Hygiene 27(5):20-21. (PDF 346 KB)
• Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data Collection (EPA) (PDF 1.2 MB)
• Micro Organisms in Foods 2 - Sampling for Microbial Analysis: Principles and specific Applications, Second Edition (International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods)
• Risk-Based Sampling: Perspective from CFSAN, USA (FDA) (PDF 845 KB)
• Salmonella Sampling Plan - Investigations Operations Manual 2020  See page 4-86 (FDA) (PDF 283 KB)
• Sampling - Chapter 4 - Investigations Operations Manual 2020 (FDA) (PDF 2.1 MB)