ServSafeChapter 9

Principles of a HACCP System

GOALS

TO FOCUS ON:

What is HACCP?

Developing a HACCP Plan

OBJECTIVESAfter completing this chapter, you should be able to:Identify the flow of a food through

an establishment.

Discuss the importance of prerequisite programs for a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

Define HACCP

Identify the HACCP principles for food safety.

Discuss how HACCP is important to food safety.

Identify Critical Control Points (CCP’s) for various foods and processes.

Key TermsHazardsHazard Analysis Critical Control Point

(HACCP)HACCP planPrerequisite programsHazard analysisControl point (CP)Critical Control Point (CCP)Critical limitMonitoringCorrective actionVerification

Hazards (biological, chemical, or physical agents that may cause illness or injury if not controlled) throughout the flow of food.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

This system is a dynamic process that uses a combination of proper foodhandling

procedures, monitoring techniques, and record keeping to help ensure that the food you serve is safe.

HACCP Plan a written document, based on

HACCP principles, which describes the procedures a particular establishment

will follow.

What is HACCP?Developed by the Pillsbury Company in

the early 1960s for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Based on the ides that if biological, chemical. Or physical hazards are

identified at specific points within the flow of food, they can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels.

The National Restaurant Association and the Food and Drug Administration recommend that all foodservice facilities, no matter how large or small, develop a HACCP system.

A HACCP system helps you to do the following:Identify the foods and procedures that

are most likely to cause foodborne illness.

Develop procedures that will reduce the risk of a foodborne illness outbreak.

Monitor procedures to keep food safe.

Verify that the food you serve is consistently safe.

Prerequisite programs support your HACCP plan and are the basic operating conditions for producing safe food.

Prerequisite programs are standard operating procedures (SOPs) which

protectyour food from contamination, minimize microbial growth, and ensure the proper functioning of equipment.

A prerequisite program may include the following:Proper personal hygiene

Proper facility design

Choosing good suppliers

Creating supplier specifications

Proper cleaning and sanitation

Appropriate equipment maintenance

Developing a HACCP PlanA HACCP plan is a written document

that describes the procedures a particular establishment will follow.

A HACCP plan is developed using the HACCP principles and is specific to the facility, its menu, its equipment, its processes, and its operations.

HACCP PrinciplesEach HACCP principle builds upon theinformation gained from the previous principle. For the plan to be complete, you must consider all seven principles in order.

The plan you develop will be based on the seven basic HACCP principles.Principles one,two, and three help you

design your system.Principles four and five help you implement

it.Principles six and seven help you maintain

the system and verify its effectiveness.

Hazard Analysis (Principle 1)Conduct a Hazard Analysis by identifying and assessing potential hazards in thefood service (biological, chemical, and physical). Hazard analysis is the process of identifying and evaluating potential hazards associated with foods, in order to decide which must be addressed in a HACCP plan.

The hazard analysis is key to developing where hazards may occur in the flow of food if care is not taken to prevent orcontrol them.

Key Steps to follow to identify all potential hazards in your establishment

*Identify potential food hazards. Exhibit9b

*Determine where hazards can occur in the flow of foods. Exhibit 9c

* Group foods by processes. Exhibit 9d

Foods that are prepared and served without cooking (salads, raw oysters, cheeses, and sandwich meats).

Foods that are prepared and cooked for immediate service (hamburgers, scrambled eggs, and hot sandwiches).

Foods that will be prepared, cooked, held, cooled, reheated, and served (chili, soups, and sauces).

* Identify your customers.

Very youngelderlypeople who are ill

Control point (CP) is any step in the flow of food where a physical, chemical, or biological hazard can be controlled.

Critical Control Point (CCP) is the last step where you can intervene to prevent, control, or eliminate thegrowth of microorganisms before the food is served to customers.Exhibit 9e

Determine Critical Control Points (Principle 2)

Critical limits are minimum and maximum limits that the CCP must meet in order to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a hazard to an acceptable limit. The limits must be:Measurable (such as a time or a

temperature)Based on scientific data, such as (FDA

Model Food Code)Appropriate for the food and equipment when prepared under normal conditions, and specific to your establishmentClear and easy to follow

Establish Critical Limits (Principle 3)

Monitoring lets you know that critical

limits are being met. To develop a successful monitoring program, you need to consider the following. Establish clear directions that will determine the

following:How to monitor the CCP.When and how often to monitor

the CCP.Who will monitor the CCP.Equipment, materials, or tools

needed to monitor the CCP. Exhibit 9g

Monitoring Critical Control Points (Principle 4)

Taking Corrective Action (Principle 5)

Corrective actions are predetermined steps taken when food doesn’t meet a critical limit. The last opportunity you have to ensure the safety of the food served. Corrective actions may be: Exhibit 9h

Cook the foodThrow food awayRejecting a shipment

Verify that the System Works (Principle 6)

Verification confirms that the system you developed worksaccording to the plan. Verify that the:CCPs and critical limits are

appropriate

Monitoring alerts you to hazards

Corrective actions are adequate

Employees are following established procedures.

Record Keeping and Documentation (Principle 7)

Proper records allow you to document that

you are continuously preparing and serving safe food. Examples of records include:Time-temperature logsProcedures for taking temperaturesStandard operating procedures (SOPs)Calibration recordsCorrective actionsMonitoring schedulesProduct specifications

TrainingTraining is critical in making a HACCP plan successful. To do this effectively, consider

the following:Help management staff understand the

importance of food safety and the benefits of HACCP.

Train staff (management and employees)to perform specific tasks required by the HACCP plan.

A good training program should:Explain the importance of what the staff

is learning.Demonstrate steps and procedures.Let employees practice.Give feedback on their performance.Review materials.Test employees on their knowledge.Retrain if needed.Evaluate employees on job performance

as well as their food-safety practices.Encourage employee involvement

regarding food-safety issues.