Hygiene Management, HACCP, and Cross-Contamination Prevention
Domain focus
This domain tests HACCP-based hygiene and cross-contamination prevention in a fugu kitchen. The exam expects you to place controls at species approval and organ removal, not at cooking.
Core rules
- Hazard analysis should identify TTX as a heat-stable chemical hazard linked to species and organs. Control measures are approved species, licensed handlers, complete organ removal, segregation, and verified cleaning.
- A cooking step cannot be a critical control point for TTX because ordinary heating does not destroy it. If cooking is a CCP, it is for bacterial hazards, not for fugu toxin.
- Set critical limits for receiving (approved species, supplier, documents), organ removal (visual and second-person check), and storage temperature. Monitor, record, and correct deviations.
- Prevent cross-contamination with color-coded or dedicated tools, separate prep areas, handwashing, glove changes, and cleaned-and-disinfected surfaces. Validate cleaning rather than assuming a rinse works.
- Keep HACCP records, corrective actions, and verification audits. Train staff on the difference between bacterial and toxin hazards.
Worked example
A HACCP team sets a 75°C cooking step as the CCP for fugu. The correct reasoning is that this CCP controls bacteria but not TTX. The team must move the decisive control to receiving and organ removal, with a verified check that no liver, ovary, intestine, skin, or eye contaminates edible muscle.
Traps
Relying on cooking for toxin control; using one board for all fish; treating disinfectant as a TTX destroyer; and writing a HACCP plan without a second-person organ-removal check.