
Highlight the critical control points in your recipe or flow chart of the menu item by underlining them or highlighting them with a marker. For ready-to-eat foods (e.g., sandwiches, salads), all steps where hands touch foods are critical control points. Cooking, cooling, hot holding, and reheating are always critical control points. The critical control point is the “kill step” where the bacteria are either killed by cooking or are controlled to prevent or slow their growth (such as by proper hot holding or rapid cooling). (These steps are called critical control points.)


Now you must find the steps in the food preparation process where these hazards can best be controlled. In Step 1 you found the food safety hazards in a specific menu item that must be controlled. Step 2: Identify where and when you have to control the hazards for each menu item. Pathogens in the cooked beef stew that survived the cooking step or that were accidentally introduced after the cooking step and then given a chance to grow if the cooked beef stew is temperature abused.The main hazards with this menu item would be: Now let’s apply this to the beef stew recipe.īeef stew is a PHF. If the answer is yes to any of the questions in the list above, then the menu item has a food safety hazard that must be controlled. Could the food be contaminated by raw food or dirty equipment after it is cooked?.Is the food handled a lot by workers? Could it be contaminated by a sick worker?.For each menu item, ask yourself if it is handled in any of the ways shown on the list: Does the food ever go through the temperature range in the danger zone? Is it cooked and then cooled? Hot held? Reheated? Remember, most food-poisoning cases involve food that has been heated up and then cooled down through the danger zone. Consider the list of top 10 causes of foodborne illness.To make this step easier, use your recipe to review every ingredient, or make a flow chart for each menu item.For each of these menu items, think about the steps the food goes through from when you first get the ingredients to when you serve it to your customers.Find those menu items that are potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) or that have one or more PHFs as ingredients. Step 1: Find the food safety hazards and critical control points. Store any leftovers in a covered pan in the cooler.Break up any clumps in the frozen vegetables.Stir with wire whisk until all seasoning is dissolved. Pour beef stew base, beef consommé, and beef gravy into stock pot.Recipe SAMPLE RECIPE: BEEF STEW Ingredientsīeef stew base, beef consommé, beef gravy This section leads you through these steps by using a basic recipe and turning it into a food safety plan. Whether the FSP is process based or recipe based, the seven basic steps for creating one are the same. A process-based food safety plan for the station preparing these items will ensure the steps to food safety are being followed. For example, the process for cooking pork chops and chicken breasts is very similar, as is the process for cooking bacon and sausages. A process-based FSP is often used when the same process is used for several different food items, or when menu items change regularly, such as on a daily special sheet. There are two types of food safety plans: process based and recipe based. The only way you can be sure of this is by developing and following a food safety plan (FSP). You should always know, without a doubt, that the food you serve your customers is safe. Food Safety, Sanitation, and Personal Hygiene 8 Developing a Food Safety Plan
