The Six Major Elements of a Food Safety Plan (FSP)

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Food Safety Plan

A Food Safety Plan (FSP) is a way that identifies and prevents safety hazards from occurring during and after food production. The risks can be seen right from receiving raw materials to when products are dispatched to the market. A good FSP must be designed to follow food regulations and principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system (UNL Food article). HACCP is proactive that foresees potential hazards to occur during the production and prevents them from occurring. All industrial and service food facilities must adhere to HACCP standards to void hazards at all production levels. HACCP outlines all steps used in FSP development, control measures, and procedures used in running food facilities. However, the six major FSP elements are discussed below.

Maintain a List of Possible Food Hazards that May Occur

This will ensure those receiving ingredients and dispatching products to the market follow control procedures to prevent possible food hazards. Knowing when and at what point they occur will help the food supervisor have good planning to monitor processes to prevent costs incurred on discarded products due to health risks. The paper discusses these hazards as follows:

Biological Hazards

These organisms produce substances that make food unfit for human consumption or may cause adverse effects on health. They are the major causes of most poisoning and food-borne diseases. Examples of these hazards include all harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites, among others.

Chemical Hazards

These are chemical substances found in food that causes illness and damages to the human body. They may occur naturally, formulated, or unintentionally found in food products. They include food materials, pesticides, cleaning agents, and contaminants, among others.

Physical Hazards

These are foreign bodies found in food products caused by poor food safety procedures. When consumed in food, they cause serious problems to victims, including even surgical procedures to remove them from the human body. Glass and metal particles, wood chippings, and human hair are some examples.

Establish Preventive Measures and Control Limits

Having known the hazards, need is there to establish measures to prevent them. These are methods used to deter hazard occurrence at projected points. The food supervisor will monitor production processes keenly to alleviate any poisoning or contamination. However, every preventive control is given a limit to ensure adverse effects are felt when exceeded (Omari et al., 2018). The limit is a value assigned to control for product safety. For example, proper cooling may be termed a control, but a limit can be to boil water up to 100^oC for 20 minutes and cool it blow 1^oC for 2 hours. Some of the preventive measures are:

Ensure clean hands during production

Human hands get dirt and germs that act as agents of food contamination and poisoning during processing. Placing dispensers and sanitizers strategically at the food facility will reduce the chances of food hazards. All persons visiting washrooms must be directed to wash hands before entering food processing zones to deter contamination.

Drainage Systems

Wastewater and dirt must be directed into drainage systems that flow away from food storage and processing zones to avoid the risk of contamination. Having proper drainage prevents breading of microorganisms that cause diseases. Disinfectants must periodically be applied in the systems to destroy air and food-borne organisms.

Chemical Storage

Food contamination often occurs when products get in contact with toxic substances. Through capillary or absorption, food may absorb fumes in the air when stored near chemicals. Chemicals must be segregated in storage areas to prevent contamination. It is recommended that H1 chemicals are stored separately in safe cabinets for proper food safety control.

Biofilms

Areas that are not reachable for cleaning create biofilms that form breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria. Environmental audits periodically must be done to determine the course of action. Hot steam and antiseptic chemicals may be applied at places to kill the germs as a prevention measure.

Put in Place Monitoring Procedures

Monitoring ensures that no control deviates from its limits, and if it occurs, temporary measures must be taken before the product is unsafe. The procedures should be stated in simple terms for all staff to understand. What, how, when, and who should monitor which methods should be clear to all employees to ensure proper implementation that leaves no gap for a hazard to occur (Osaili et al., 2018). Examples of monitoring procedures include temperatures and time required for cooking a specific food and observing ingredients dates of manufacture and expiry.

Have Corrective Actions

Where a procedural control deviates from its norms, quick corrective action is required before the product becomes unsafe for human consumption. Therefore, proper monitoring should be done to evaluate and validate every process in food production. For example, if the heating temperature is higher than expected, necessary adjustments must be made immediately to avoid a breach of the safety control.

Recordkeeping

Proper record monitoring determines if the preventive measures are appropriately applied and efficient to deter specified hazards. The facility manager must ensure all staff is trained well on procedural controls, control limits, evaluation, and validation of each control during food production. It is a reference point where the food supervisor and other staff refer to maintain HACCP standards at the facility.

Checking and Reviewing

A food safety plan checks and reviews are necessary to ensure procedures and controls are implemented accordingly. Weekly, monthly, or even yearly inspections are required. The facility manager and the food safety supervisor should select a team that will be doing periodic checks of the safety controls (Dzwolak, 2019). The team will review the procedures and recommend any changes and improvements thereof.

References

Dzwolak, W. (2019). Assessment of HACCP plans in standardized food safety management systemsthe case of small-sized Polish food businesses. Food Control, 106, 106716.

Omari, R., Frempong, G. K., & Arthur, W. (2018). Public perceptions and worry about food safety hazards and risks in Ghana. Food Control, 93, 76-82.

Osaili, T. M., Al-Nabulsi, A. A., & Krasneh, H. D. A. (2018). Food safety knowledge among food service staff at the universities in Jordan. Food control, 89, 167-176.

UNL FOOD. The Seven Principles of HACCP. n.d. Web.

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