Sausage HACCP Plan Guidelines

Are you trying to complete a HACCP plan or food safety plan template for sausage processing? Please check out these guidelines.

Sausage HACCP Plan
Guidelines - Introduction

Sausage products currently fall under the regulatory rules of the United State Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program. This plan guidance page will walk through the basics of developing a HACCP plan in order to achieve compliance with the USDA.

Types of companies that would use this plan would be:

Types of food products that would use a version of this guidance would be:

Why HACCP /
Food Safety Plan?

The HACCP Plan is not a stand alone program, but rather part of a larger food safety system. The foundational programs that are part of the food safety system are frequently termed prerequisite programs. The term was coined to indicate that they should be in place before HACCP based systems are implemented in order to effectively manage risk from food borne hazards. The Current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations address requirements for many prerequisite programs. USDA section 402(a)(3) outlines the conditions and practices the regulated food industry must follow for processing safe food under sanitary conditions, including personnel, plant and grounds, sanitary operations, sanitary facilities and controls, equipment and utensils, processes and controls, warehousing and distribution, and defect action levels considerations. Elements of GMPs that are not covered in the HACCP are still required by regulations.

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Process Flow

The process flow of a food safety plan (HACCP) is the center of a food product’s food safety story. It tells how a company makes its products and what hazards and controls are associated with each step. Here’s an example process flow for sausage:

Suggested
Logs and Records

Monitoring records and logs must include the actual values or observation that document the actual implementation of a Food Safety Plan . For example, if a temperature is being measured, the actual temperature must be recorded rather than a check mark indicating that the temperature complied with the critical limit. To comply with regulations, information must be recorded at the time it is observed.

Here are suggested record and log types to use:

Customer Complaints
Corrective Action Forms
Employee Training
Food Safety Quarterly Audit
Food Safety Checklist
Raw Materials/Receiving Log
Worker Illness Log
Freezer Log
Thawing Log
Refrigerator Log
Assembly Log
Shipping Temperature Log

Potential Hazards

Biological

Enterobacteriacae
Spore formers — Clostridium spp
Spore formers — Bacillus cereus

Chemical

Sulphite
Bone

Suggested Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs)

SOPs are related to both GMPs and Controls of Hazards in the Food Safety Plan. SOPs define the specific steps of how GMPs and Controls of Hazards mitigate food safety hazards and define a repeatable process.

Using and Calibrating Thermometers
Transporting Food to Remote Sites
Cooling Potentially Hazardous Foods
Cleaning and Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces
Storing and Using Poisonous or Toxic Chemicals
Preventing Cross-Contamination During Storage and Preparation
Receiving Deliveries
Cleaning Building and Facility
Allergen Control Program
Washing Hands – To Prevent Foodborne Illness by Contaminated Hands
Employee Illness Program

Additional Components for
Compliance (Recommended)

The following associated food safety components are recommended to achieve compliance with State and Federal rules and regulations.

Recall Plan

It is recommended when a critical control point (CCP) is defined from a hazard analysis that a Recall Plan is written to protect the consumer and the brand. Recalls are actions taken by an establishment to remove an adulterated, misbranded or violative product from the market. In other words, a product for which USDA or a state could take legal action against the company would be subject to recall.

Verification

Verification is an important component of supply chain, sanitation, allergen and critical controls. It confirms that the HACCP Plan is operating as intended. Validation confirms the effectiveness of the HACCP Plan in controlling food safety hazards. The purpose of verification is to provide a level of confidence that the HACCP Plan is 1) based on solid scientific principles that are adequate to control the hazards associated with the product and process, and 2) that the plan is being followed correctly every day of operation.

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Sausage HACCP Plan Guidelines