Information on HACCP

According to the Servsafe Coursebook, establishments must have a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan when preparing food by smoking food for preservation, using food additives to eliminate the need for time and temperature control, custom-processing animals, treating and packaging juice on site for later sale, curing food, packaging food using reduced-oxygen methods, sprouting seeds or beans, or offering live, molluscan shellfish from a display tank.

Conduct a Hazard Analysis

• Examine the food you serve or package in your establishment. Identify where potential chemical, physical or biological hazards would likely occur.

Determine Critical Control Points

• Look for the points during the food's processing where hazards may be prevented, reduced or eliminated. Identifying Critical Control Points, or CCPs, allows an establishment to focus on prevention.

Establish Critical Limits and Monitoring Procedures

• Set limits for each CCP to reduce hazards. For example, if the potential hazard is undercooked chicken, set a standard for the minimum internal temperature of cooked chicken.

  Decide the best way for the establishment to ensure the critical limits are met. Designate employees to monitor the limits at each CCP.

Identify Corrective Actions

• Create a plan for how to deal with a critical limit that is not met. Decide ahead of time what corrective actions will take place and create a log to keep track of any actions taken.

Verify the System Works

• Evaluate the HACCP plan frequently. Examine any CCP logs, records or charts to determine weaker areas and review and update the plan as needed.

Establish Procedures for Documentation

• Document your HACCP plan from creation to execution. Maintain logs and charts for CCPs and corrective actions and work with suppliers who have their own plans to ensure the product you receive is safe when it arrives.