---
title: Negative EMP Results Aren’t Always Good - AEMTEK
description: Negative pathogen testing results could mean that your environment is squeaky clean (congratulations!). However, it could also mean that you’re just not looking hard enough! Never having a pathogen detection in your environmental monitoring program could indicate there are gaps in your sampling plan. Perhaps the plan simply isn’t representative enough of the environment and is not doing its job. Quality […]
image: https://blog.aemtek.com/hubfs/Blog_Negative%20emp%20results%20not%20always%20good.png
---

[![](https://blog.aemtek.com/hs-fs/hubfs/NEW%20AEMTEK%20Logo-1.png?width=1000&height=307&name=NEW%20AEMTEK%20Logo-1.png)](https://blog.aemtek.com/)

Open main menu Close main menu

- [To Main AEMTEK Website](https://aemtek.com/services/expert-services-for-the-food-and-beverage-industry/)

---

[Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/environmental-monitoring-program-emp) [Pathogens](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/pathogens) [Food Safety](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/food-safety)

# Negative EMP Results Aren’t Always Good

![AEMTEK Inc.](https://blog.aemtek.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Aemtek%20picture%20Logo%20Hi-Res%20png-1.png?width=45&name=Aemtek%20picture%20Logo%20Hi-Res%20png-1.png) 

[AEMTEK Inc.](https://blog.aemtek.com/author/aemtek-inc)

[Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.aemtek.com/negative-emp-results-arent-always-good) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.aemtek.com/negative-emp-results-arent-always-good) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.aemtek.com/negative-emp-results-arent-always-good)

![](https://blog.aemtek.com/hubfs/Blog_Negative%20emp%20results%20not%20always%20good.png)

Negative pathogen testing results *could* mean that your environment is squeaky clean (congratulations!). However, it could *also *mean that you’re just not looking hard enough! Never having a pathogen detection in your environmental monitoring program **could indicate there are gaps in your sampling plan. **Perhaps the plan simply isn’t representative enough of the environment and is not doing its job.

Quality Assurance Managers should think of their Environmental Swabbing as a hunt for pathogens, instead of as a test to pass or fail for their auditors to see. You want to ensure that you have checked every nook and cranny and feel confident that there is no way these sneaky pathogens could have evaded your swabbing protocol and cause subsequent contamination in your facility.

Remember, pathogens can enter the production environment at any time they have a chance. The job of the environmental monitoring  program is to ensure that the sanitation protocol has completely *eliminated* any pathogens that have entered the facility *before* they cause contamination. Wouldn’t you rather get a positive sponge test, letting you know to re-sanitize, than not find out about the contamination until it shows up on an analysis of a finished good, or causes illness to customers?

***Concerned your EMP may not be thorough enough? [Contact our experts for a review of your current EMP!](https://aemtek.com/contact-us/)***

### Leave a Comment

## Related Articles

[![](https://blog.aemtek.com/hubfs/Blog_5%20things%20every%20manager%20needs%20to%20know%20(3).png)](https://blog.aemtek.com/environmental-monitoring-emp/if-you-test-for-listeria-should-you-also-test-for-salmonella)

[Pathogens](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/pathogens) [Environmental Monitoring (EMP)](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/environmental-monitoring-emp) [Food Safety](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/food-safety) [Blog](https://blog.aemtek.com/topic/blog)

### [If You Test For Listeria, Should You Also Test For Salmonella?](https://blog.aemtek.com/environmental-monitoring-emp/if-you-test-for-listeria-should-you-also-test-for-salmonella)

The vehicles by which *Listeria *enters a food production facility are largely also sources by which *Salmonella* makes its way into the environment, such as through...

![AEMTEK Inc.](https://blog.aemtek.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Aemtek%20picture%20Logo%20Hi-Res%20png-1.png?width=45&name=Aemtek%20picture%20Logo%20Hi-Res%20png-1.png) 

[AEMTEK Inc.](https://blog.aemtek.com/author/aemtek-inc) 

[Read More](https://blog.aemtek.com/environmental-monitoring-emp/if-you-test-for-listeria-should-you-also-test-for-salmonella)

[![](https://blog.aemtek.com/hubfs/Blog_2021%20Trends%20(1)-1.png)](https://blog.aemtek.com/top-trends-of-2021)

### [Top Trends of 2021](https://blog.aemtek.com/top-trends-of-2021)

Kudos to the food industry! While the pandemic closed down many businesses, and “working from home” is a common practice, food industry workers brave to work every day...

![AEMTEK Inc.](https://blog.aemtek.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Aemtek%20picture%20Logo%20Hi-Res%20png-1.png?width=45&name=Aemtek%20picture%20Logo%20Hi-Res%20png-1.png) 

[AEMTEK Inc.](https://blog.aemtek.com/author/aemtek-inc) 

[Read More](https://blog.aemtek.com/top-trends-of-2021)

© 2022 AEMTEK. All Rights Reserved. 

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "AEMTEK Inc.",
    "url" : "https://blog.aemtek.com/author/aemtek-inc"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2023-02-24T23:00:04.278Z",
  "datePublished" : "2021-03-22T13:58:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Negative EMP Results Aren’t Always Good - AEMTEK",
  "image" : [ "https://blog.aemtek.com/hubfs/Blog_Negative%20emp%20results%20not%20always%20good.png" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://blog.aemtek.com/negative-emp-results-arent-always-good",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://blog.aemtek.com/hubfs/NEW%20AEMTEK%20Logo-1.png"
    },
    "name" : "AEMTEK"
  }
}
```