Contents

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: What is a Food Safety Plan
• Chapter 3: How to implement a Food Safety Plan
  
  • Stage 1: Planning
  • Stage 2: Draw a flow diagram
  • Stage 3: Develop a Food Safety Plan
    
    • Step 1 List hazards
    • Step 2 Identify preventive measures and their control limits
    • Step 3 Establish monitoring procedures
    • Step 4 Establish corrective actions
    • Step 5 Keep records
    • Step 6 Check and review

    Examples of application of Food Safety Plan

• Chapter 4 Basic requirements for a Food Safety Plan
  
  1. Cleaning and sanitation
  2. Personal hygiene
  3. Pest control
  4. Waste disposal
  5. Staff training
  6. Handling customer complaints
• Chapter 5 Relevant websites

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Chapter 1

Introduction

Recently, a number of foodborne illnesses occurred worldwide have aroused the concern and anxiety of the public about food safety. Most of these foodborne illnesses are caused by mishandling or improper preparation/ storage of food by food handlers (Appendix 1). In order to ensure food safety and prevent food poisoning, all food businesses including food service organizations should comply with the existing food regulations as well as prepare their own Food Safety Plan (FSP) based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

HACCP adopts a proactive approach to anticipate the occurrence of potential problems during the food production process and to implement measures designed to prevent the occurrence of these problems.

HACCP system has been adopted worldwide by many food manufacturing companies. However, a "classical" HACCP system is generally considered not feasible in the food service organizations due to the multiplicity of food products, lack of standardised methods, lack of systematic production planning as well as lack of expertise to develop the system. This document contains an FSP based on the principles of HACCP in order to assist managers of food service organizations to tackle the above problems and ensure food safety, including

1. an outline of the stages involved in developing an FSP;
2. a list of potential problems that may occur during food production in catering operations; and
3. a list of control measures that can be applied generally to most catering operations and advices on when and how these control measures can be applied.

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Chapter 2

What is a Food Safety Plan?

An FSP is designed to identify and prevent possible food safety problems (hazards) in order to enhance food safety. The problems may relate to the purchase, receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, packaging, transport or display of food.

There are six elements in an FSP:
1. List food safety problems (hazards) at each step of the food processing (e.g. purchase and receiving of food)
2. Identify preventive measures and their control limits
3. Establish monitoring procedures
4. Establish corrective actions
5. Keep records
6. Check and review

Appropriate implementation of the above elements, together with the application of some basic practices (e.g. cleaning and sanitation, personal hygiene, pest control, waste disposal and staff training), will certainly prevent food safety problems during the food production.

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Chapter 3

How to implement a Food Safety Plan?

Stage 1 Planning

Preliminary planning and preparation will be essential before developing your FSP. A coordinator for developing an FSP should be appointed and adequate authorities and resources should also be provided. The coordinator must have basic knowledge of food safety and must be familiar with the properties of food as well as its processing procedures.

Staff should be made aware of the changes and benefits that will result from the introduction of the FSP. The FSP will only work if each staff member knows their role in the plan, and is committed to making it work. To reduce the anxiety of staff, the FSP should be introduced in phases over a period of time. For example, the FSP could be introduced initially for just the first step of the catering operation (i.e. purchase of raw materials), making sure that the first step is working properly before moving onto the next step.

Stage 2 Draw a flow diagram

A flow diagram should be drawn showing each step in the operation, from purchase of raw materials to serving food to consumers. The flow diagram shown here is a generic example for a catering operation which should be tailored to each individual operation. Each of the steps of the operation can be considered a control point to prevent food safety problems.

* Note: "Display" is applicable to businesses providing buffets.

 

Stage 3 Develop a Food Safety Plan

Step 1 List hazards

A hazard is anything that may cause a food to be unsafe for human consumption (Appendix 2). Use your flow diagram to identify all the hazards (food safety problems) associated with each step.

Examples of problems:

1. Raw materials contain harmful micro-organisms (e.g. raw oysters contaminated with Norwalk-like virus and raw eggs contaminated with Salmonella)
2. Harmful micro-organisms grow and produce toxin during processing
3. Harmful micro-organisms or toxins survive after heating
4. Food contains harmful chemicals (e.g. ciguatoxin in coral reef fish)
5. Food contains extraneous physical objects (e.g. metal, glass fragments)

Of these, harmful micro-organisms as well as toxins produced by them are likely to be the most important problems that cause foodborne illnesses.

Step 2 Identify preventive measures and their control limits

List the measures and the control limits that can be used to control the identified problems (i.e. those identified at step 1) at each step of the catering operation. A control limit is a value or measurement (such as temperature or acidity) that must be met to ensure safety of the product.

Examples of preventive measures and their control limits are:

Step 3 Establish monitoring procedures

The monitoring of control limits will ensure that any loss of control (i.e. deviation from control limits) can be identified so that corrective actions can be taken before the product becomes unsafe. The methods used should be kept as simple as possible.

Examples of monitoring procedures include:

1. Cooking temperature and time measurements
2. Visual observation of "use by" date and stock rotation
3. Visual observation of cleanliness of equipment and work surface
4. Visual inspection of incoming food ingredients

Simple and clear work instructions for the control and monitoring procedures should be developed for staff to refer to:

I. What is to be checked? (e.g. the cooking temperature)
II. How is it checked? (e.g. use thermometer to measure temperature)
III. When is it checked? (e.g. measure once every half hour)
IV. Who does the check? (e.g. chef assistants)

Step 4 Establish corrective actions

If monitoring procedures reveal loss of control, corrective actions must be taken immediately. Examples of corrective actions:

1. Reheat the food until its core temperature reaches 75°C or above for at least 30 seconds if the cooking temperature is inadequate.
2. Adjust or repair the chiller if its temperature is higher than 4^oC.
3. Clean the equipment again if it is dirty.

Step 5 Keep records

Maintenance of monitoring records (e.g. temperature records of the freezer) helps evaluate whether preventive measures are adequate and efficient. You can make reference to the record sheets shown in Appendices 3 to 17 and choose the ones that are suitable for you to record the monitoring results.

Step 6 Check and review

In order to ensure that your FSP works properly, you should perform a systematic check periodically (e.g. once a week). An example of an FSP checklist is provided in Appendix 18 to assist you to develop your own inspection checklist. The checklist may help you determine areas in your operation requiring attention and improvement. In addition, you should also review your FSP at least once a year because your operation or products may change.

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Examples of application of Food Safety Plan

Following are examples of possible problems and their controls for each step in the food service operation:

Step: Purchase

* Monitoring procedures (e.g. frequency of monitoring) should be tailor-made to suit your own operation.

Step: Receiving

Raw materials or ingredients must be checked against the specifications on deliveries. Depending upon the degree of risk they present, some food or raw ingredients will need to be checked more frequently.

Step: Dry storage

Dry storage includes the storage of some kinds of fruits and vegetables, dried foods (e.g. cereals and seasonings) and canned or bottled foods.

Step: Refrigerated storage

Step: Frozen storage

Step: Preparation

Step: Cooking

Step: Cooling

Step: Reheating

Step: Hot holding

Step: Display (applicable to businesses providing buffets)

* Sashimi and raw oysters are classified as ready-to-eat foods.
^#Attendants should be present at buffet tables to monitor the hygienic condition of displayed food.

Step: Transport

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Chapter 4

Basic requirements for a Food Safety Plan

An FSP should also include some basic activities (e.g. cleaning and sanitation, personal hygiene, pest control, waste disposal and staff training) so that potential problems arising from the food production process will be prevented more effectively. Listed below are the examples of these activities.

A. Cleaning and sanitation

Food preparation areas, facilities, equipment and all food contact surfaces should always be kept clean because food residues and dirt may contaminate food resulting in food poisoning. A cleaning programme should therefore be developed to ensure that cleaning and sanitising be carried out in a systematic, regular and effective manner.

The steps for cleaning and sanitising of utensils are as follows:

1. Remove debris by wiping, scraping
2. Rinse with hot water
3. Clean with detergents
4. Rinse with water
5. Sanitize with hot water or chemical sanitisers (instructions for use and safety precautions on the labels should always be followed when using chemical sanitisers)
6. Air dry

In order to ensure that cleaning and sanitation is carried out effectively in your premises, you should develop a well-planned cleaning and sanitation programme and maintain relevant records for evaluation. A well-planned cleaning and sanitation programme should include the following elements:

• areas, utensils and equipment to be cleaned
• frequency of cleaning required for each item
• cleaning procedure specified for each item
• equipment and methods to be used
• chemicals or systems to be used
• the staff responsible for each task

An example of cleaning programme

B. Personal hygiene

Good personal hygiene is essential to ensure food safety. Food poisoning bacteria may be present on the skin and in the nose of healthy people. All food handlers must therefore maintain a high standard of personal hygiene and cleanliness in order to avoid transferring food poisoning micro-organisms to food. The following points need to be considered by all food handlers:

Handwashing

Hands must be washed:

• Before working
• Before preparing food
• After going to toilets
• After handling raw foods
• After licking fingers, coughing, sneezing, eating, drinking or smoking
• After touching ears, nose, hair, mouth, or other bare body parts
• After touching pimples or sores
• After handling waste
• After carrying out cleaning duties
• After changing soiled clothes
• After handling animals
• After any other unhygienic practices

How to wash your hands:

1. Wet hands with warm running water
2. Apply soap
3. Rub hands for 20 seconds (If necessary, use a nail brush to clean nails. However, the brush must be kept clean and sanitary.)
4. Rinse hands thoroughly
5. Dry hands with a paper towel (the paper towel can then be used to turn off the tap)
6. Turn off the tap with the paper towel

 

 

Hand care

• Keep fingernails short and clean
• Cover all wounds or cuts on hands or arms completely with bright-coloured waterproof wound strip
• Wear disposable gloves if there are wounds on hands. Change both gloves and wound strip regularly

Clothing and appearance

• Uniforms and aprons (or clothes) should be clean at the beginning of a work shift
• Wear a hair restraint (hat or hairnet)
• Avoid wearing jewellery while handling and preparing food
• Avoid using strong perfumes/after-shaves
• Do not wear uniforms / aprons outside the food preparation area

Personal hygiene practices while handling food

· Avoid touching nose, mouth, hair and skin during food preparation
· Do not smoke in food premises
· Do not cough or sneeze directly onto food. Wash hands after coughing or sneezing
· Wash hands after blowing nose
· Use disposable tissues to wipe hands

Infection

· Food handlers should be free from any illnesses such as gastroenteritis or flu
· Cease working and report to the manager when feeling ill

C. Pest control

Pests may contaminate food and cause foodborne illness. A pest control programme should be developed to eliminate pests and prevent pests from infesting your food premises. An effective pest control programme should be able to prevent access, deny harbourage and eradicate any pests present.

Design of facilities

• Seal all gaps around fittings or in walls or floors
• Keep doors to the outside closed at all times
• Fit windows open directly into food preparation areas with screens (with apertures of two mm²or less) to keep insects out
• Cover ventilation ducts and floor drains

Preventive measures

• Store food and supplies properly:
  • Cover them properly
  • Store them at least 30cm/twelve inches off the floor and 15cm/six inches away from walls
  • Store them at low humidity (50 per cent or less)
  • Apply first-in-first-out system
• Remove cartons, newspapers, etc. that may attract and harbour pests
• Store and remove garbage properly and regularly. Keep refuse bins covered
• Keep garbage in sealed plastic bags and inside tightly covered refuse bins
• Clean up spillages of food immediately · Keep toilets clean and hygienic

Inspection

• Inspect both outside and inside of premises frequently (e.g. weekly) for signs of pests
• Check incoming food and supplies for signs of pests (e.g. any pest is harboured inside the packaging of food and supplies)
• An example of a pest control inspection record sheet is provided in Appendix 14

Elimination

• Use chemical, physical or biological means (e.g. rodent traps) where there are signs of pests
• Use a zapper or insecticutor to capture and kill flying insects. Ensure zappers are not above or within three metres of a food preparation or storage area.
• Avoid spraying insecticide over food preparation surfaces
• Hire a professional pest control company when necessary
• An example of a pest control monitoring record sheet is provided in Appendix 15

D. Waste disposal

Waste can be regarded as any item of foods, ingredients, packaging materials, etc. which is not suitable for further use and intended to be disposed of. Waste should be controlled carefully since it presents a risk of contamination of food.

• Waste disposal bins should be placed near the working area of food preparation rooms and positioned conveniently to operating staff
• Waste disposal bins should be clearly distinguishable from other storage bins
• A defined area should be allocated for the storage of waste pending disposal
• When food waste is removed from food preparation area pending disposal, it must be placed in a tightly covered waste storage bin
• Plastic liners should be used in waste disposal and storage bins
• Waste disposal and storage bins should be emptied when full or on a regular basis
• Waste disposal bins should be cleaned and sanitised daily and placed upside down and off the floor to drain overnight

E. Staff training

Training offers food handlers a better understanding of how food can become contaminated, and how foodborne illnesses can be avoided through proper food handling procedures. Each food business must decide what training their food handlers need by identifying the areas of their work most likely to affect food hygiene and safety.

Examples of basic knowledge of food safety:

• Main factors contributing to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses
• Temperature control of potential hazardous foods
• Proper ways of using equipment (e.g. the skill of using thermometer, knowledge of handling cooking and storage equipment)

Examples of basic knowledge of food hygiene:

• Skills and significance of maintaining good personal hygiene practices
• Knowledge and skills of cleaning and sanitising
• Pest control

• It is a good practice for a business to identify the training needs of each staff member
• It is also a good practice to keep training records of every staff member
• Training needs should be reviewed on a regular basis and should be assessed against the role and responsibilities, existing skills, experience and previous training of the staff
• An example of a staff training record sheet is provided in Appendix 16

F. Handling customer complaints

Customer complaints should be handled carefully because they help reflect possible problems that may be overlooked by the management during food production. Depending upon the results of investigation, appropriate amendments to the FSP should be made where necessary.

• Establish complaint handling procedures
• Document all customer complaints
• Record details including the date, customer details, reasons for complaining and action taken
• An example of a customer complaint record sheet is provided in Appendix 17

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Chapter 5

Relevant websites

For more information about Food Safety Plan, please browse the following websites:

Regional food safety authorities

Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Food Safety and Inspection Service (U.S.)

UK Food Standards Agency

International organisations

Codex Alimentarius Commission

Food and Agriculture Organisation

World Health Organisation

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Appendix 1

Main factors contributing to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses

Below is a list of the most common factors contributing to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. These factors can be categorized into two groups:

1. Microbiological contamination of food

i. Use of unsafe food source
ii. Cross-contamination
iii. Infected food handlers

2. Survival or growth of food poisoning micro-organisms in food (related to improper time / temperature control)

i. Inadequate cooking
ii. Prolonged storage of food between 4°C and 60°C (Temperature danger zone at Appendix 1(i))
iii. Improper cooling
iv. Inadequate reheating
v. Inadequate thawing of food before cooking
vi. Preparation of food too far in advance and storage of food at temperature danger zone vii. Improper handling of leftovers

 

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Appendix 1(i)

Temperature danger zone

Food should be stored at 4℃ or below or above 60℃ to retard the growth of food poisoning bacteria.

* Note: Some of the food poisoning bacteria can still grow at low temperature, e.g. Listeria monocytogenes.

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Appendix 2

Examples of hazards

A hazard is anything in food that may cause harm to consumers. Hazards may be biological, chemical or physical:

Biological

Chemical

Physical

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Appendix 3

Food Safety Plan Worksheet

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Appendix 4

Food Safety Plan Worksheet

Step

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Appendix 5

Approved Suppliers Record Form

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Appendix 6

Unqualified Suppliers Record Form

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Appendix 7

Purchasing Record Form

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Appendix 8

Record Form for Receiving Frozen Products

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Appendix 9

Record Form for Receiving Chilled Products

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Appendix 10

Record Form for Receiving Dry Products

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Appendix 11

Temperature Log

* Please delete where inappropriate.

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Appendix 12

Corrective Action Record Form

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Appendix 13

Cleaning Schedule Record Form

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Appendix 14

Pest Control Inspection Record Form

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Appendix 15

Pest Control Monitoring Record Form

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Appendix 16

Staff Training Record Form

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Appendix 17

Customer Complaint Record Form

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Appendix 18

Food Safety Plan Manager

Self-inspection Checklist

Part 1

I Personal Hygiene

II.Utensils and Equipment

III.Cleaning and Sanitising

IV.Waste Disposal

V. Pest Control

Part 2

Food Production

This document can be downloaded from the Food Safety Plan webpage of
the Centre for Food Safety: www.cfs.gov.hk

 

For more information, please contact the
Communication Resource Unit, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department at
8/F, Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building,
123A Fa Yuen Street, Mongkok, Kowloon
or
at tel 2381 6096
8/2009

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