CP-FS cheat sheet

HACCP's seven principles: hazard analysis, CCP determination, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and recordkeeping.

Preliminary tasks before Principle 1: assemble the HACCP team, describe the product, identify intended use, construct a flow diagram, and verify it on site.

Validation establishes the scientific basis of a control measure before implementation; verification confirms through calibration, records review, and CCP checks that the plan is working.

A CCP is a step where control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard; the decision tree asks whether a later step could control it.

HACCP records are retained six months for refrigerated perishable product and two years for frozen or shelf-stable product under seafood and juice regulations.

FSMA preventive controls include process, allergen, sanitation, and supply-chain controls, plus monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and a recall plan when a hazard requires one.

A food safety plan must be prepared or overseen by a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual and reanalyzed at least every three years or when a significant change occurs.

Corrective action must correct the deviation, evaluate and disposition affected product, and prevent recurrence; rework requires a hazard evaluation before release.

Monitoring may be continuous (chart recorder) or at intervals; records must be signed by the monitor and reviewed by a qualified reviewer.

The Big Six foodborne pathogens are nontyphoidal Salmonella, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, hepatitis A virus, and norovirus.

Attack rate = (number ill ÷ number exposed) × 100; it compares foods or exposures in an outbreak.

Typical onsets: Staphylococcus aureus 1–6 h; Bacillus cereus emetic 0.5–6 h; Clostridium perfringens 8–22 h; norovirus 12–48 h; hepatitis A 15–50 days.

D-value is the time at a given temperature to reduce a population by 90%; z-value is the temperature change that changes the D-value tenfold.

Listeria monocytogenes grows at refrigeration temperatures and causes high case-fatality illness, especially in pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised people.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli has a low infectious dose, is carried in cattle, and can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome; raw ground beef and contaminated produce are common vehicles.

Scombroid poisoning is histamine formed from histidine in tuna and related fish; the toxin is heat stable, so cooking does not prevent illness.

A case-control study compares past exposures of ill and non-ill people; a cohort study follows exposed and unexposed groups and yields relative risk.

An outbreak is two or more cases of a similar illness from a common food or exposure, confirmed by epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental evidence.

The FDA Food Code is a model regulation revised every four years; states and localities adopt or adapt it, and FDA does not directly enforce it at retail.

USDA FSIS regulates meat, poultry, and processed egg products; FDA regulates most other foods, including seafood, juice, and shell eggs at retail.

FSMA's major rules cover preventive controls for human and animal food, produce safety, foreign supplier verification, sanitary transportation, intentional adulteration, and third-party auditor accreditation.

Commodity HACCP regulations include seafood (21 CFR 123), juice (21 CFR 120), and meat and poultry (9 CFR 417).

Inspection items are classified as priority (directly linked to illness or injury), priority foundation (support a priority item), or core (good retail practices).

Enforcement tools include administrative conferences, warning letters, injunctions, seizure, administrative detention, mandatory recall authority, and registration suspension.

An imminent health hazard requires immediate discontinuation of operations and notification of the regulatory authority; operations resume only after correction.

A variance or HACCP plan is required for specialized processes such as curing, smoking for preservation, reduced-oxygen packaging, sous vide, sprouting seeds, and juice processing.

Shellstock tags must be retained 90 days from the date the last shellfish was sold or served.

Food-contact surfaces must be smooth, nonabsorbent, corrosion-resistant, and free of cracks; stainless steel and food-grade plastics are typical approved materials.

Manual warewashing sequence: scrape, wash in detergent at 110°F or above, rinse, sanitize, and air-dry.

Chemical sanitizer concentrations are chlorine 50–100 ppm, quaternary ammonium 200–400 ppm, and iodine 12.5–25 ppm, confirmed with test strips and label contact time.

Hot water sanitizing uses 171°F for 30 seconds by immersion or 180°F final rinse in a mechanical dishwasher, verified with thermolabels or temperature indicators.

Backflow protection ranks an air gap (at least twice the pipe diameter) above reduced-pressure zone assemblies, which rank above vacuum breakers and check valves.

Lighting must be at least 50 foot-candles where food is prepared or equipment washed, 20 at handwashing and warewashing areas, and 10 in storage.

Cleaning removes soil and organic matter; sanitizing reduces microorganisms to safe levels; both are required because soil interferes with sanitizer action.

Equipment should be NSF/ANSI certified or equivalent and installed at least six inches off the floor or sealed to it to allow cleaning.

Floor drains need traps and proper slope; grease interceptors must be cleaned on a schedule and records kept.

Food employees diagnosed with Salmonella Typhi, Shigella, STEC, hepatitis A, or norovirus must be excluded from the establishment and reported to the regulatory authority.

Employees with vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, or a sore throat with fever are excluded or restricted depending on duties and symptoms.

Handwashing requires warm running water and soap, at least 20 seconds of scrubbing, thorough rinsing, and drying with a single-use towel or approved dryer.

Hand antiseptics may be used after handwashing but never replace it; they are not effective on visibly soiled hands.

No bare-hand contact is allowed with ready-to-eat food; use utensils, deli tissue, or single-use gloves, and change gloves when contaminated.

Fingernails must be trimmed and clean; no nail polish or artificial nails when handling exposed food; no jewelry on hands or arms; hair must be restrained.

Eating, drinking, and smoking are allowed only in designated areas away from food, equipment, and utensils.

The person in charge must monitor employee health, exclude or restrict, ensure handwashing, and verify food safety training.

Employees must be trained in food safety for their assigned duties; many jurisdictions require an accredited food protection manager certificate.

Receiving temperatures: cold TCS food at 41°F or below, hot TCS food at 135°F or above, and frozen food solid; reject unsatisfactory product.

Two-stage cooling: 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then 70°F to 41°F within four more hours, for six hours total.

Cooking temperatures: poultry and stuffed foods 165°F; ground meat 155°F; whole-muscle meat 145°F with a four-minute rest; fish 145°F.

Hot holding is 135°F or above; cold holding is 41°F or below; reheating for hot holding is 165°F for 15 seconds within two hours.

Time as a public health control allows four hours without temperature control, or six hours if food starts at 41°F or below and never exceeds 70°F.

Date marking applies to ready-to-eat TCS food held more than 24 hours: seven days at 41°F or below, counting the preparation day as day one.

Approved thawing methods: refrigeration at 41°F or below, running water at 70°F or below, microwave followed immediately by cooking, or as part of cooking.

Thermometers are calibrated at the ice point (32°F) and sanitized between uses; measure the thickest part or geometric center.

Store food at least six inches off the floor, use FIFO, keep raw animal food below ready-to-eat food, and store chemicals separately.

Potable water must come from an approved source; hot water at handwashing sinks is at least 100°F, and manual warewashing wash water at least 110°F.

A cross-connection is any link between potable and nonpotable water; air gaps provide the highest protection, and backflow assemblies are tested at least annually.

Hose bibs need vacuum breakers; submerged inlets and improper connections can allow backflow into the drinking water system.

Sewage must discharge to an approved system; a backup or lack of hot and cold water is an imminent health hazard requiring closure.

Grease interceptors and traps must be cleaned on schedule; garbage containers must be covered, leak-proof, and cleaned frequently.

Integrated pest management relies on exclusion, sanitation, harborage elimination, and monitoring; pesticides are applied only as needed and documented.

Evidence of pests includes droppings, gnaw marks, rub marks, and live sightings; sighting a rodent or cockroach in food areas is a priority violation.

Toilet rooms need self-closing doors, a handwashing sink, and ventilation, and must not open directly into food preparation areas.

During a boil water advisory, use bottled or approved water, discontinue ice and fountain beverages, and post notice until the advisory is lifted.

Recall classes: Class I for reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death; Class II for temporary or reversible health effects; Class III for unlikely adverse effects.

A recall plan identifies the product, notifies consignees, retrieves and segregates product, determines disposition, and conducts effectiveness checks with records.

Traceability requires one step back to the supplier and one step forward to the recipient, with records kept at least two years.

The FSMA Food Traceability Rule uses critical tracking events and key data elements for listed foods and requires records within 24 hours of a request.

A mock recall tests record retrieval and contact information, often with a target completion time such as two hours.

A product withdrawal removes product for quality reasons with no health hazard; a recall addresses a product that may cause illness or injury.

Emergency plans address power outages, water interruptions, fire, and flood; TCS food held above 41°F for more than four hours is discarded.

Recall effectiveness checks verify that consignees received notice and removed product; the regulatory agency audits the firm's checks.

Crisis communication uses a designated spokesperson and pre-approved messages; tampering threats are reported to regulators and law enforcement.