About the Webinar

Companies required to conduct environmental monitoring for verification of pathogen control must make a reasoned decision on whether to test direct-product-contact surfaces (zone 1) for indicators alone, pathogens alone, or both combined. Many experts advise never testing zone 1 surfaces for pathogens due to recall risk if such surfaces are found contaminated with a pathogen. However, such advice – ignoring your greatest risk surfaces for your greatest food safety risk – seems logically flawed.

In this month's training webinar, join food safety researcher Douglas Marshall, PhD, CFS (Chief Scientific Officer with Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc.) as he discusses an approach to zone 1 testing that recommends testing non-direct-contact surfaces simultaneously for pathogens and indicators, then building a correlation between quantitative indicator count and Salmonella or Listeria prevalence. 

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • Various philosophical and scientific rationales for zone 1 pathogen testing
  • How to justify your zone 1 pathogen testing program to inspectors, auditors, and customers
  • Examples of where ignoring zone 1 pathogen testing led to a deadly outcome, such as the recent Blue Bell ice cream listeriosis outbreak
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Douglas Marshall, PhD, CFS

Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc.

Douglas L. Marshall, PhD, CFS, Chief Scientific Officer with Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories, Inc., is a frequent consultant to NIH, WHO, FAO, USDA, and other government agencies and private companies. With over 250 publications and over 150 invited presentations, his scientific research and outreach interests focus on improving the microbiological quality and safety of foods. Dr. Marshall’s research and expertise has been featured in popular press venues such as Consumers Reports, USA Today, Fitness, Men’s Health, Chemtech, and ASM Journal Highlights.

Dr. Marshall is also co-founder and Director of the Food Safety Institute, LLC, an integrated consulting and analytical services company affiliated with Eurofins. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, an Inaugural Member and Chair of the International Food Science Certification Commission, and a founding member of the Global Traceability Center. He currently holds Adjunct Professor positions with Colorado State University and Florida State College.

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