Module No.

10

FOOD SAFETY PLANS

MODULE OVERVIEW

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

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Designing as FSP or Food Safety Plan

2. Listing the elements of the Food Safety Plan
3. Enumerating the different stages in the Food Safety Plan
4. Understanding the preventive measure and control limits in the development of a Food
Safety Plan
5. Assessing the basic requirements in the development of a Food Safety Plan

LEARNING CONTENTS

Lesson 10 - Food Safety Plan

10.1.Implementation a Food Safety Plan

10.2. Preventive Measures and Control Limits
10.3. Application of Food Safety Plan

HACCP adopt 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 this problems.

HACCP system has been adopted worldwide by many manufacturing companies. However,
a “classical” HACCP system is generally considered not feasible in the food service
organizations due to the multiplicity of food products, lacks of standardized methods, lack
systematic production planning as well as lack of expertise to develop the system,. This
document contains as 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:

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 ● An outline of the stages involved in developing an FSP.
● A list of potential problems that may occur during food production in catering
operation;
● A list of control measures that can be applied generally to most catering operation
and advices on when and how these control measures can be applied.

What is Food Safety Plan?

As FSP is designed to identify and prevent possible food safety problems (hazard) in order
to enhance food safety. The problem may relate to the purchasing, receiving, storing, preparing,
cooking, packaging, transporting or displaying of food.

There are six elements in an FSP:

● List food safety problems (hazard) at each step of the food processing.
● Identify preventive measures and their control limits
● Establish monitoring procedures
● Establish corrective actions
● Keep record
● Check and view

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

Implementing 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 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 FSP. The FSP will only work if each staff member know his/her role in the plan,
and is committed to making it work. To reduce the anxiety of the 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 consumer. The flow diagram shown here is generic example for
catering operation which should be tailored to each individual operation. Each of the step of the
operation can be considered a control point to prevent food safety problems.

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 Note: “Display” is applicable to business providing buffets.

Figure 10.1 Flow diagram for FSP

Step 2: identify preventive measures and their control limits

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

Table 10.1 Preventive Measures and Control Limits

Example of preventive measures and their control limits are:

Prevent measures Control limit

Using reputable suppliers Product bought from approved/ licensed reputable
Adequate freezing or chilling Frozen /chilling food should be stored at -15⁰C/4⁰C or
below
Using proper ways to thaw frozen Frozen foods should be thawed under/in
foods ? refrigeration at 4⁰C below
? cool running water in waterproof package
? a microwave oven
Cooking thoroughly During cooking the core food temperature should
reach 75⁰C or above for at least 30 seconds
Proper cooling Cooked food should be cooled from 60⁰C to 20⁰C in
two hour and then to 4⁰C or below in the next four
hours

Step 3: Establish monitoring procedures

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

Examples of monitoring procedures include:

● Cooking temperature and time measurements

● Visual observation of “ used by” date and stock rotation
● Visual observation of cleanliness of equipment and work surface
● Visual inspection of incoming food ingredients

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

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 ● What is be checked? (e.g. the cooking temperature)
● How it is checked?(e.g. use thermometer to measure temperature)
● When is it checked? (e.g. measure once every half hour)
● Who does the checked?(e.g. chef assistant)

Step 4: Establish corrective actions

If monitoring procedures reveal loss control, corrective actions must be taken

immediately. Example of corrective actions:

● Reheat the food until its core temperature reaches 75⁰C or above for at least 30 seconds if
the cooking temperature is inadequate.
● Adjust or repair the chiller if its temperature is higher than 40⁰C

Step 5: Keep records

Maintenance f monitoring records (e.g. Temperature records of the freezer) helps

evaluate whether preventive measures are adequate and efficient.

Step 6: check and review

In order ensure that FSP is works properly, you should perform a systematic check
periodically (e.g. once a week). The check list 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 product may change.

Example 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

Step: Receiving

Raw materials or ingredients must be checked against the specification 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 kind of fruits and vegetables, dried foods (e.g. cereals
and seasoning) and canned or bottled foods

Step: Refrigerated Storage

Step: Frozen Storage

Step: Preparation

Step: Cooking

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Step: Cooling

Step: Reheating

Step: Hot Holding

Step: Display

Step: Transport

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 problem 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 to food poisoning. A
clean programmed should therefore be developed ensure that cleaning and sanitizing be carried
out in a systematic regular and effective manner.

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

● Remove debris by wiping, scraping

● Rinse with hot water
● Clean with detergents
● Rinse with water
● Sanitize with hot water or chemical sanitizer( instruction for use and safety precaution on
the label should always be followed when using chemicals sanitizers)
● 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 programmed should include the
following elements:

● Areas, utensils and equipment to be cleaned

● frequency of cleaning required for each item
● Cleaning procedures specified for each item
● Equipment and methods to be used
● Chemicals or systems to be used
● The staff responsible for each task

B. Personal hygiene

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 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 consider by all food handlers:

Handwashing

Hands must be washed:

● Before working
● Before preparing food
● After going to toilet
● After handling raw food
● 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:

● Wet hands with warm running water

● Apply soap
● Rub hands for 20 seconds (if necessary, use nail brush to clean nails. However, the brush
be kept clean and sanitize)
● Rinse hand thoroughly
● Dry hands with paper towels (the paper towel can the used to turn off the tap)
● Turn off the tap with the paper towels

Hand care

● Keep fingernails short and clean

● Cover all wounds or cuts on hands or arm completely with bright colored
● Waterproof wound strips
● Wear disposable gloves if there are wound on hands. Change both gloves and wound strip
regularly

Clothing and appearance

● Uniforms and aprons( or cloth) should be clean at the beginning of a work shift
● Wear hair restraint(hat hairnet)

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 ● Avoid wearing jewelry 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 onto the food. Wash hands after coughing or sneezing
● Use disposable tissue to wipe hands

Infection

Food handlers should be free from any illness such as gastroenteritis or flu

● Cease working and report to the manager when feeling ill.

C. Pest control

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

● Keep door to the outside closed at all times

● Fit window open directly into food preparation areas with screen(with apertures of two
mm2 or less) to keep insects out
● Cover ventilations ducts and floor drains

Preventive measure

● Store food and supplies properly

● Cover the properly
● Store them at least 30cm/twelve inches off the floor and 15cm/ six inches away from the
walls
● Store them at low humidity(50 percent or less)

● Apply First-in-first-out system

● Remove carton, newspaper, etc. that may attract and harbor pest
● Store and remove garbage properly and regularly. Keep refuse bins covered
● Keep garbage in scales plastic bags and inside tightly covered refuse bins
● Clean up spillages of food immediately
● Keep toilets clean and hygienic

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Inspection

● Inspect both outside and inside of premises frequently (e.g. weekly) for signs of pest
● Check incoming food supplies for sign of pest (e.g. any pest is harbored inside the
packaging of food and supplies)

Elimination

● Use chemical, physical or biological means (e.g. rodent traps) where these are signs of
pests
● Use zapper or insecticutor to capture and kill flying insects. Ensure zappers are not above
or within three meters of a food preparation or storage area
● Avoid spraying insecticide over food preparation surfaces
● Hire a professional pest control company when necessary
● Seal all gaps around fitting or walls or floor

D. Waste disposal

Waste can be regarded as any item of food, 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 risks 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 are should be allocated for the storage of waste pending disposal
● When food waste is removed from preparation area pending disposal, it must be place in
tightly covered waste storage bin.
● Plastic liners should be used in waste disposal and storage bins
● Waste disposal and storage bin should be emptied when full or on a regular basis
● Waste disposal bins should be cleaned and sanitized 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 illness 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 by hygiene and safety.

Examples of basic knowledge of food safety

● Main factor contributing to outbreaks of foodborne illness

● Temperature control of potentials hazardous food
● Proper ways of using equipment(e.g. the sill of using thermometer, knowledge of handling
cooking and storage equipment)

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Examples of basic knowledge of food hygiene:

● Skills and significance of maintaining good personal hygiene practices

● Knowledge and skills of cleaning and sanitizing
● Pest control
● It is 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 need should be reviewed on regular basis and should be assessed against, the
role and responsibilities, existing skills, experience and previous training of the staff

F. Handling costumers complain

Customer complaints should be handles carefully because they help reflect possible
problem that may be overlooked by the management during food production. Depending upon
the result of investigation, appropriate amendments to the FSP should be make where necessary.

● Establish complaints handling procedures

● Document all customer complaints
● Record details including the date, customer details, reasons for complaining and action
taken.

LEARNING POINTS

Quiz No.10
(10 Points)

Food Safety Plan: What are the steps in operations that can be considered a control point to
prevent food safety problems.

Enumerate the different steps (in order):

Step 1: to Step 18:

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

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Something to do…

Activity No.10
(20 Points)

Instruction: Developed improvised materials to eliminate pest and prevent pests from infesting
your food premises.

Note: Please submit this activity for evaluation purposes thru MSfiles.

Criteria: Overview, Procedures and Learnings - 10

Photos w/ Description of the Activity - 10
Total: 20 Points

REFERENCES

Food Safety Plan

https://opentextbc.ca/foodsafety/chapter/developing-a-food-safety-plan/

● Books and E-books

2019 Risk Management w/ HACCP

Mylene A. Yeung

2018 Risk Management for Tourism and Hospitality Management

Jovid Maricar H. Maranan, D.B.A. , Mario H. Maranan, D.P.A. ,
Cristina O. Nazareno-Caluza, Ph. D.

Automation in tourism industry and hotel management, 2018

Yaduraj Choudhary, New Delhi: Random Publications

Hospitality Security and Services, 2017

3G E-Learning

Hotel and Resort design, 2018

Habita Architects, Australia: The Images Publishing Group

Food safety: the science of keeping food safe 2nd edition, 2018
Ian C. Shaw, London: Wiley Black Well

Trends and development in tourism industry, 2018

Ravindra Ahuja, New Delhi: Random Publications

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 Inventory Management, 2017
Sandeep Choudhary, New Delhi: Random Publications

Basics of hospitality history and development evolution, 2018

Shweta Singh, New Delhi: Random Publications

● Journals /Magazines

Tourism Security 2020

1st Edition
Strategies for Effectively Managing Travel Risk and Safety
Author: Peter Tarlow
Published: June 6, 2014
https://www.elsevier.com/books/tourism-security/tarlow/978-0-12-411570-5

Hospitality Security
1st Edition
Managing Security in Today’s Hotel, Lodging, Entertainment and Tourism Environment
Author: Darell Clifton
Published: May 29, 2012 by CRC Press
https://www.routledge.com/Hospitality-Security-Managing-Security-in-Todays-Hotel-Lodging-Enter
tainment/Clifton/p/book/9781439874363

Food Safety and Risk Management at Catering Level during the COVID-19
Department of Hospitality Management, Faculty of Management and Hospitality, Hong
Published: July 10, 2020
Kong Corresponding author: Leung Kin Hang Paul, Department of Hospitality Management,
Faculty of Management and Hospitality, Hong Kong
https://biomedres.us/pdfs/BJSTR.MS.ID.004756.pdf

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