HACCP Primer

Holding/Serving Receiving

A Summary of the Importance and Application of HACCP Principles.

Cooking

Storage

Preparation
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Questions we will answer in this Seminar

Why use HACCP in foodservice? What are my requirements under this law? What does HACCP mean by "hazard"? What is a "critical control point"? What is a "critical limit? When should temperatures be taken? How do I begin a hazard analysis? What are the steps in the flow of food? Why is the flow of food important? What are common CCP's?

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and

How many critical limits are there for each CCP? What is the purpose of monitoring, and what makes for successful monitoring? Why decide corrective actions in advance? How many records are needed? How do I verify my HACCP system? Under what conditions can a regulatory authority come to verify my HACCP system? What should each employee be trained to do? Where can I find additional info on HACCP?
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What a Leader in the Foodservice Industry Must Know About Food Safety

In order to comply with FDA, state and local Health Department regulations, the person in charge of any foodservice operation at any given moment is responsible for knowing and applying the following information:

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What a Leader in the Foodservice Industry Must Know About Food Safety

The rights, responsibilities, and authorities the local food code assigns to employees, managers, and sanitarians and the local health department. Diseases that can be carried or transmitted by food and the symptoms of those diseases. Points in the flow of food where hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced.
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What a Leader in the Foodservice Industry Must Know About Food Safety

Correct practices of personal hygiene, especially handwashing Prevention of cross-contamination and hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. Dangers presented to food safety by untrained, injured or ill employees.

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What a Leader in the Foodservice Industry Must Know About Food Safety

Controlling the length of time that potentially hazardous foods remain at temperatures where disease-causing microorganisms can grow. Safe cooking temperatures and times for potentially hazardous foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and fish. Safe temperatures and times for the safe refrigerated storage, hot holding, cooling and rehearing of potentially hazardous foods.

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What a Leader in the Foodservice Industry Must Know About Food Safety

Correct procedures for cleaning and sanitizing utensils all food-contact surfaces. The poisonous and toxic materials used in the operation and how to safely store, dispense, use and dispose of them. How the operation complies with principles of a HACCP-based food safety system.

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HACCP Assumes Food Establishment Owners and Managers to:

Analyze the biological, chemical, and physical hazards associated with the production of menu items.
Analyze preparation methods Identify Critical Control Points (CCP's) Establish easily identifiable critical limits

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HACCP Assumes Food Establishment Owners and Managers to:

Be sure employees are trained

Monitor and document processes

Periodically verify that the system is producing food as planned.

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HACCP Assumes Owners and Managers to Understand a Few Terms:

Hazard Critical Control Point Critical Limit; and

Monitoring

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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD

Categories of Hazards are: Microorganisms - Chemicals - Physical Objects

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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD- Microorganisms

Microorganisms are everywhere and they are too small to see. Microorganisms also can produce toxins. What makes them hazards is the fact that they can grow in food during preparation, storage, and holding or their toxins.

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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD- Microorganisms

Examples of potentially hazardous microorganisms are:

Salmonella - E. coli 0157:H7 Staphyloccuccus arueus - Clostridium Perfringens Listeriosis - Shigellosis Norwalk Virus - Campylobacteriosis Fungi - Botulism Viruses - Parasites Bacilleus Cereus Gastroenteritis

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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD- Chemicals

Chemicals are used throughout every foodservice operation. While chemicals can play an important role in keeping food safe, they are also potentially hazardous. Chemicals can contaminate food or food production surfaces if they spill, spray or splash on food, or if residues are left on food contact surfaces.
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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD- Chemicals

Examples of potentially hazardous chemicals are:

Natural plant toxins Food additives Non-food oils Lead, mercury, heavy metals Sanitizers and cleaners

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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD- Physical Objects

Physical Objects are often parts of food preparation or presentation. But they become potentially hazardous if they are an unintended part of the food.

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HACCP DefinitionsHAZARD- Physical Objects

Examples of potentially hazardous physical objects are:

- Glass

- Stones or dirt - Staples - Wood - Plastic - Jewelry - Hair or hair pins - Fingernails or polish chips - Bandage - Rubber

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HACCP DefinitionsCritical Control Point

The operation in food processing that specifically eliminates, prevents, or controls the identified hazard is known as the critical control point. Each recipe contains many control points but there are only a few that are critical.

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HACCP DefinitionsCritical Limit

-The criterion that must be achieved to guarantee elimination, prevention, or control of an identified hazard is known as the critical limit.

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HACCP DefinitionsThe difference between a Critical Control and a

Critical Limit
-Example:

The recipe instruction states: Bake to an internal cooking temperature of 165 F for 15 seconds in a 325 oven.

Bake 165 for 15 seconds 325F oven

= Critical Control Point = Critical Limit = Critical Limit

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HACCP DefinitionsCritical Limit

-Workers must check and document critical limits. The critical limit must be easy to understand, quick to carry out, visual, and instantly measurable.
-Verified time, measured food temperature, visual monitoring, and physical location of food are most frequently used as the critical limits in food establishment HACCP plans.
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HACCP DefinitionsCritical Limit

-The most commonly used critical limits are time and temperature. -Other critical limits are Aw (water activity), pH, preservative concentration, salt concentration, available chlorine or viscosity.)
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WHEN TO TAKE TEMPERATURES

At a minimum, temperatures should be taken whenever the food preparer does not know the temperature of the food or suspects that the food may have been exposed to time/temperature "abuse." This can be defined as food that is suspected to have been in the "Danger Zone" (41F - 140F) for more than 30 minutes, or has otherwise been exposed to improper cooling, heating or holding.
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WHEN TO TAKE TEMPERATURES

Common times to take temperatures are: When it is received After blending While in long-term storage (a walk-in refrigerator, or permanent hot box) Every four hours for cold food Every two hours for hot food Every hour for shorter term hold (portable equipment) Every two hours with every batch of bulk food Periodically after cooking food to order Every hour on a buffet table At the hottest and coldest point for reheated food.
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MAKE TIME WORK FOR YOU

The easiest way to assure that time works as a critical control point in favor of the operation is to closely control production so food flows continuously from storage to prep to service with minimum backups.

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MONITORING
Effectiveness in carrying out HACCP demands supervisors monitor documentation constantly and coach monitoring whenever possible. Observe temperatures being taken, labeling, dating and preparation methods. Insist upon accuracy. Workers must correct documentation entry errors promptly. Monitoring is both active and dynamic and results in corrective actions.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

1. Hazard Analysis 2. Identify the Critical Control Points 3. Establish Critical Control Limits 4. Establish Procedures to Monitor the CCPs 5. Establish the Corrective Action Plan 6. Establish a Record-Keeping System 7. Verify that the HACCP is Working
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The 7 Principles of HACCP 1. Hazard Analysis

First, begin with a review of menu items and recipes for foods or ingredients that will support bacterial growth. Then, the manager must analyze the flow of food through the facility by constructing a flowchart to assess the opportunities for contamination and bacteria growth.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP 1. Hazard Analysis

- The flow diagram is the path of the food from specification to service.
- A flow diagram that delineates the steps in the process from receipt to the customer forms the foundation for application of the seven principles. - The significant hazards associated with each step in the flow diagram should be listed along with the proposed preventative measure to control the hazards.

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The 7 Principles of HACCP 1. Hazard Analysis

As you know, hazards can be biological, chemical or physical and the analysis of hazards should follow the flow of food through every phase:

Purchasing specifications

Receiving

Preparing
Cooking Cooling Reheating

Storing
Holding Serving

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The 7 Principles of HACCP

2. Identify the Critical Control Points

As you know, a Critical Control Point is a point, step, or procedure where control can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to an acceptable level.

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The 7 Principles of HACCP

2. Identify the Critical Control Points

CCPs include:
Cooking Chilling Sanitation procedures Recipe Control Prevention of CrossContamination Employee hygiene
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

2. Identify the Critical Control Points

With ready to eat foods, CCP's should always include: Refrigerated storage Blending time and temperature Holding

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The 7 Principles of HACCP

2. Identify the Critical Control Points

With hot foods, CCP's should always include: Internal temperature of the cooked item as it is taken from the oven Holding temperature Cooling temperature and time Reheating temperature
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

2. Identify the Critical Control Points

Critical Control Points should always be marked on the flowchart and recipe. Always include sanitation instructions specifying cleaned and sanitized equipment, clean hands, and prohibition of hand missing, even if gloves are worn.

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The 7 Principles of HACCP

3. Establish Critical Control Limits

- Critical limits may be thought of as boundaries of safety for each CCP. - Each CCP will have one or more critical limit to assure the prevention or elimination of hazards, or the reduction of hazards to acceptable levels.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

3. Establish Critical Control Limits

Specific limits must be set on: Rotation time of food within each station Physical location of food Specific cooking and holding temperatures Operating temperatures of equipment Chemical concentrations pH measurements
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

4. Establish Procedures to Monitor the CCPs

Monitoring serves three purposes:

1. Tracking of the system's operation 2. Indicating when loss of control or a deviation has actually taken place 3. Providing written documentation for use in verifying the HACCP plan
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

4. Establish Procedures to Monitor the CCPs

The simplest monitoring process is through: Visual observation, Taking of food temperatures, Verifying time, Measuring concentrations of chemicals Measuring pH
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

4. Establish Procedures to Monitor the CCPs

- Monitoring means active supervision, not just telling workers to document. - The most effective monitoring is accomplished by insisting upon documentation, such as temperature logs of critical activities. - Logs must be reviewed daily and sample temperature readings taken to encourage employees to record accurate reading and keep thermometers calibrated.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

5. Establish the Corrective Action Plan

Be prepared in advance should monitoring show that a critical limit has been exceeded. Each CCP will require a specific corrective action in the event of a preparation error.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

5. Establish the Corrective Action Plan

Corrective action procedures must be documented. The purpose is to recognize and correct mistakes, not pass them on or destroy food.

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The 7 Principles of HACCP

6. Establish a Record-keeping System

The first written document is the HACCP plan. Records must then be generated during operation that verify preparation steps throughout the flow of food. While record keeping takes time, it ultimately makes the system work.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

6. Establish a Record-keeping System

The absence of records almost guarantees that problems will recur.

Record keeping forces systematic monitoring on a regular basis. Managers must determine that logs are kept accurately, that critical limits are met, examine corrective action, and retrain employees when necessary.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

6. Establish a Record-keeping System

Make the word record a HACCP "recipe." As part of the recipe, include hygiene steps, cooking and refrigeration temperatures, chilldown methods, and reheating and holding temperatures. The recipe is kept as the foundation document. It is used over and over.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

6. Establish a Record-keeping System

When a restaurant wants to make a "special," it simply writes a one-page HACCP recipe that specifies the flow of food, critical temperature requirements, and sanitation instructions.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

6. Establish a Record-keeping System

Minimally, records should be kept on : Basic temperatures of food in preparation every two hours Cooking points of each batch Buffet temperatures hourly (if applicable)

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The 7 Principles of HACCP

7. Verify that the HACCP is Working

First, verify that the CCPs and critical limits are appropriate. You can ask your sanitarian, or research it using the MHEF.org website or other source if you question your plan. Make certain that every critical control point and critical limits meets or exceed the applicable requirement established by Maryland law.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

7. Verify that the HACCP is Working

Next, determine if your plan is working effectively. Review your recipes regularly for accuracy, ingredient use, and yield.

Check all controls, documentation procedures, and corrective measures.

Modify the HACCP as the review dictates.
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The 7 Principles of HACCP

7. Verify that the HACCP is Working

Always encourage workers to participate in verifying that the HACCP system is working so they will be attuned to identifying preparation problems managers may overlook.
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Be Aware
Understand

that your sanitarian or local health department official may ask to see your HACCP plan, the records you have kept, and the fact that management is verifying and taking corrective action if necessary AT ANY TIME.

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More Help if you need it:

MHEF can supply you with FoodLynx software that assists in creating HACCP flowcharts. Software is Windowsbased and is recipe driven. It can be purchased for $199.00 through our on-line Product Store at or by calling MHEF at 1-800-874-1313. MHEF can assist you in creating your HACCP plan. Simply send us an email to webmaster@mhef.org or call us at 1800-874-1313 MHEF offers seminars on HACCP plan design and implementation. Click on Classes and Services Training Calendar to find the next scheduled seminar or call us at 1800-874-1313
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More Help if you need it:

MHEFs Online Library has several additional resources for HACCP plan and implementation. Be sure to visit the Librarys section on Food Safety and HACCP where you will find the following tools:
HACCP - Its Definition, its History, and its Role HACCP Preparation Checklist Factors Most Often Named in Foodborne Outbreaks

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