Specialized Processes

Specialized Processes are processes or procedures requiring specific food safety controls not otherwise assessed in the Portsmouth Food Code.

Specialized Processes Include:

Reduced oxygen packaging (ROP)
Smoking food (for preservation, not as a method of flavor enhancement)
Curing food
Using food additives to make a food shelf stable
- e.g., acidification of sushi rice
Operating a molluscan shellfish tank
Sprouting seeds or beans
Preparing food by another method that is determined by the Health Department to require a variance

Specialized processes conducted in a retail food establishment require a preapproved Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan. A waiver or variance is also required. Some Specialized Processes will require a process review conducted by a Food Processing Authority.

What is HACCP?

HACCP is a preventive and systematic approach to food safety. It identifies food safety hazards (biological, chemical, and physical agents) in the food production process that are likely to cause illness or injury without their control. A HACCP plan provides the steps needed to reduce those hazards to a safe level and a method to initiate corrective actions if a hazard occurs. It details a complete food safety management system following HACCP principles in combination with prerequisite programs. These principles, or steps, were developed by The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.

What are the seven principles of HACCP?

Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis
Principle 2: Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
Principle 3: Establish critical limits
Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures
Principle 5: Establish corrective actions
Principle 6: Establish verification procedures
Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures

Using these seven principles, the HACCP plan identifies and addresses critical control points, commonly referred to as CCPs, where illness or injury is reasonably likely to occur in the absence of the hazard’s control. Annex 4 in the FDA Food Code 2022 contains HACCP guidelines and Annex 6 contains food processing criteria.

What is included in the HACCP Plan?

The following are essential components needed for the HACCP plan to be approved by the Health Department. If items are missing it can slow the review process and hold up a food establishment from being able to conduct their intended processes.

Food establishment name and address to include a HACCP point of contact (phone and email, if available)
Equipment list – complete list of equipment and materials that will be used to make the product(s)
Food products that will be made using the specialized process
- Recipes or formulations – complete list of ingredients and raw materials used in the product(s)
  - Include name of cure and percent nitrite if applicable
Flow diagram identifying Critical Control Points (CCPs) for each process
Standard operating procedure for each process
Hazard Analysis (identify the significant hazard such as biological, chemical, or physical)
Listing critical limits (ex. cooking temperatures, cure amounts, and cooling temperatures)
Verification procedures for each Critical Control Point (Include how the Critical Control Points are monitored and the frequency)
Records/logs sample sheets
Training program or plan detailing topics and methods of training, details of the following topics
- Labeling
- Hand Washing
- Eliminating Bare Hand Contact with ROP Foods
- Cleaning and Sanitizing
- Cold Holding
- Personal Hygiene
- Thermometer Use and Calibration
- Employee Health Policy

Multiple specialized processes at a single food establishment

A food establishment might conduct multiple processes that require a HACCP plan. Each process will have its own HACCP plan. This allows the food establishment to add or remove a HACCP plan from their operation easily without modifications to existing HACCP plans.

FAQs

Where can I find help in developing a HACCP plan?

There are online resources, as well as University Extension Programs that offer assistance in developing HACCP plans. The New England Food Entrepreneurs website https://www.umass.edu/nefe/ contains local resources that can assist with HACCP plans. The website is an outreach program of the New England Land-Grant Universities, a Cooperative Extension that helps small food businesses access needed information, resources, and education to be successful.