Catering HACCP Plan Template Examples for Compliance

Create an FDA-compliant HACCP or Preventive Controls (PC) Plan for your catering operation using FoodReady templates and AI HACCP builder.

Create a USDA-approved HACCP plan for food catering services.

HACCP template for catering

Introduction
Catering HACCP Plan Guidelines

Catering businesses are regulated by local state health departments and the FDA’s HACCP and Preventive Controls rules under FSMA.

Who Needs a HACCP Plan for Catering?

These HACCP plans facilitate safe, sanitary food preparation, storage, transportation, and service.

Catering companies and event catering businesses

What Catering HACCP templates will you find?

Catering

General Services

Transportation Steps

Same Day Service

Worried about your special business needs? You can customize the template with FoodReady consultants.

Building a Complete Catering Food Safety System with HACCP

A HACCP plan is vital to your food safety system, but is not the only part. Prerequisite programs, such as GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices), must be in place to support your HACCP plan. USDA Section 402(a)(3) mandates safe food processing practices under sanitary conditions, including:

HACCP Consulting

Sanitary operations

Sanitary facilities & controls

Equipment & Utensils

Processes & controls

Plant & grounds

Defect action level considerations

Warehousing & distribution

Industry Leaders Who Already Use
Our HACCP Plan Templates

Thanks Danks

Gabriel’s Bakery

eurobake

Process Flow

Example Catering Method Steps

Q
What does a catering HACCP plan look like?

A
The process flow of a catering 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 a catering service:

Catering HACCP template example

Steps:

1.
Receiving ingredients

2.
Cold storage

3.
Preparation

4.
Cooking

5.
Hot or cold holding

6.
Assembly & packaging

7.
Transportation to the event or client

8.
Final service

Suggested
Logs and Records

Monitoring records and logs must include the actual values or observations that document the actual implementation of a Food Safety Plan.

For example, it should be the exact temperature recorded, not just a checkmark that the temperature complied with the critical limit.

To comply with regulations, you must record the information when you observe it.

Recommended logs:

Suggested
Supply Chain Documents

The safety of your product goes beyond your facility.

If an ingredient has a history of association with a specific hazard, a supply chain program may be required to control that risk within your food safety plan.

Many companies also implement broader supplier programs to monitor performance and ensure compliance beyond food safety.

Ensure traceability and food safety with these supplier records:

Potential Hazards

Hazard Type
Example Hazard
Common Step(s) in Process
Biological
Salmonella spp.
Receiving raw meat, poultry, eggs
Biological
E. coli O157:H7
Undercooked ground beef, improper handling
Biological
Listeria monocytogenes
Cold storage, post-cook contamination
Biological
Campylobacter jejuni
Handling raw chicken
Chemical​
Antibiotic residues
Receiving meat, poultry
Chemical
Cleaning chemical residues
Utensils, transport containers
Physical
Bone fragments
Raw meat receiving & prep
-
-
Beef:
Enterobacteriacae – Salmonella
Enterobacteriacae – Escherichia coli O157:H7
Proteobacteria – Campylobacter jejuni
Parasites – Taenia saginata
Bacteria – Staphylococcus aureus
Anthelmintics
Antibiotics
Environmental chemical contaminants
Chicken:
Psychotrophs – Listeria monocytogenes
Proteobacteria – Campylobacter jejuni
Enterobacteriacae – Salmonella
Spore formers – Clostridium perfringens
Environmental chemical contaminants
Antibiotics
Anthelmintics
Salmon:
Biological – Bacillus cereus
Biological – Parasites- Anisakis
Biological – Toxin from C. botulinum bacteria
Psychotrophs – Listeria monocytogenes
Environmental chemical contaminants
Allergensv Enterobacteriacae – Salmonella sp

Suggested Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

SOPs are related to GMPs and controls of hazards in a food safety plan.

SOPs define the steps of how GMPs and Controls of Hazards mitigate food safety hazards and define a repeatable process.

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

According to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation requires a written Recall Plan when a hazard analysis identifies a hazard requiring a preventive control.

Recalls are actions an establishment takes to remove an adulterated, misbranded, or violative product from the market.

In other words, a product for which the FDA or a state could take legal action against the company would be recalled.

Verification

Verification is essential to the 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. The purpose of verification is to make sure that the HACCP Plan is:

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