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What is HACCP?
HACCP is a systematic approach to construct a food safety program designed to reduce the risk of foodborne hazards by focusing on each step of the food preparation process--from receiving to service. More information regarding the traditional approach to HACCP may be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPHS/NACMCF/past/JFP0998.pdf. You can find additional guidance on developing a HACCP-compliant food safety program using the references here.
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- Documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - SOPs serve as a basic food safety foundation and control hazards not outlined specifically in the HACCP plan.
- A written plan at each school food preparation and service site for applying HACCP principles that includes methods for:
- Documenting menu items in the appropriate HACCP process category
- Documenting Critical Control Points (CCPs) of food production
- Monitoring
- Establishing and documenting corrective actions
- Record keeping
- Reviewing and revising the overall food safety program periodically
HACCP Terminology
You will learn some new terms in developing the food safety program and individual school plans.
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Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): written instructions for a food service task that reduce food safety hazards.
Building a Food Safety Program
Analyze Menu Items According to the Process Approach to HACCP
Look at your menu items and decide which food items are meant to be: 1) kept cold from preparation through service; 2) prepared hot and served the same day hot; and 3) prepared hot and served cooled, or possibly reheated. These are the preparation categories in the Process Approach to HACCP.
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It is especially important to consider all the steps taken when a menu item is prepared at one site and served at another in order to be aware of potential hazards and control for them. A combination of central and satellite kitchens is found in many school districts. In these situations, the SFA must identify and categorize the appropriate overall food preparation process for menu items and also must develop a plan for each site involved in the preparation and service of the item to clarify the responsibilities for each site.
Develop, Document, and Implement SOPs
Control measures are any means taken to prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards. Collectively, control measures include SOPs as well as the Critical Control Points (CCPs) and the corresponding critical limits established in each of the three processes.
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SOPs are also control measures and should not be forgotten when using the Process Approach. In addition to the established CCPs for each of the three processes, applicable SOPs should be followed for the preparation and service of all menu items.
Establish Monitoring Procedures
Monitoring is an important step for an effective food safety program. Control measures, including CCPs and SOPs, must be monitored, controlled, and documented in writing. Monitoring involves making direct observations or taking measurements to see that the food safety program is being followed.
Establish Corrective Actions
Whenever a critical limit is not met, a corrective action must be carried out immediately. A corrective action may be simply continuing to heat food to the required temperature. Other corrective actions may be more complicated, such as rejecting food items that were not delivered at the right temperature, or discarding food that has been held without temperature control too long.
Your food safety program must include corrective actions. Employees must know what these corrective actions are and be trained in making the right decisions.
Keep Records
There are certain written records or kinds of documentation that are needed to verify that the food safety program is working. These records will normally involve the food safety plan and any monitoring, corrective action, or calibration records produced in the operation of the food safety program based on HACCP principles. Recordkeeping also provides a basis for periodic reviews of the overall food safety program. In the event your operation is implicated in a foodborne illness, documentation of activities related to monitoring and corrective actions can provide proof that reasonable care was exercised in the operation of your facility.
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- Records documenting the SOPs
- Time and temperature monitoring records
- Corrective action records
- Verification or review records
- Calibration records
- Training logs
- Receiving logs
Review and Revise Your Overall Food Safety Program Periodically
There should be an ongoing as well as a periodic review of the activities described in your food safety program. This step ensures that the food safety program is operating according to what is specified in each school’s plan.
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