‘Safer Food Better Business’:

A New Approach to HACCP for Caterers

 

 

Adapted from Taylor & Taylor, 2004.

 

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Frequent problems associated with HACCP in the food industry are that it is difficult, burdensome and hindered by a lack of training, expertise, time and money. These problems can be seen across all businesses but with increased significance as their size decreases. In the catering industry, where there is an increased diversity and complexity of products and processes, often less training and resources, and businesses of a smaller size, these problems of implementation could therefore be seen as impossible to overcome.

 

“In its present form, and with the way that many external bodies have tried to impose it, HACCP does not work in catering and has been anything other than a benefit. The vast majority of managers in the catering industry believe that it is too complicated, onerous, and nothing more than a bureaucratic sledgehammer” (Forte, 2002)

 

The Beginnings of a New Methodology

 

In 2002, a team led by Professor Eunice Taylor at the Food Standards Agency HACCP Branch began a project to address the problem of how to make HACCP work for the catering sector. This multi-disciplinary team included caterers, food safety and HACCP experts, management specialists, psychologists, teachers, environmental health officers, practitioners and researchers. They ‘started from scratch’ with a completely new approach to the challenge – instead of ‘dumbing down’ existing manufacturing HACCP, the team put HACCP and all of its terminology was to one side and began to work on how caterers could practically achieve safety.

(As the catering sector is very diverse the team decided to define the scope of their task as the independent restaurant sector. This is the largest, most complex sector and was least likely to have already made progress with HACCP).

The Four C’s

 

As a starting point the team discussed dividing the immense topic of food safety into more manageable sections. To make use of existing media coverage the starting point for these discussions were the four categories used in the current FSA Food Hygiene Campaign: The Four C’s of Cooking, Chilling, Cleaning and Cross Contamination.

 

 

The Fifth C

 

It was also felt that the missing element in the other models seemed to be the ‘management’ aspect. There are certain food safety controls that only a person with ownership/management of the business has the power to put in place or improve, and for this reason the team added a fifth C called Control.

The Development of ‘Safe Methods’

Taking each C in turn, they were subdivided into more specific food groups or processes, and for each one a list of the essential food safety points was created. Quality points were taken out, so that only elements of the procedure that were critical to food safety remained. Each one was supported immediately with a reason for its necessity, based on the caterers’ and food scientists’ combined experience. These ‘rules and reasons’ or ‘control measures’ included not just what to do but advice on how to do it, in a similar format to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). They did not talk in terms of temperatures to be reached but visual, practical methods of knowing and testing when something was safe.

 

The result was a detailed and practical series of ‘rules and reasons’, which could be selected according to the particular caterer’s own processes and products. After selection, those of relevance would then be adapted by the caterer to make them specific to their own business (see Appendix One).

 

Proving methods are safe

 

In ‘safe methods’ where the aim behind the practical checks is for food to reach/maintain certain temperatures, a ‘prove it’ section was added where caterers could prove (validate) the safety of their method. In this way, instead of encouraging the impractical use of temperature probes for checking every product every time, the caterer is encouraged to carry on using their visual checks every time but to also carry out periodic temperature tests to prove that their methods reach a safe temperature. This task is also recommended for times when they add a new menu item, or at special occasions where they are preparing products at different sizes and in different ways than they would normally be used to.

 

Planning for when things go wrong

As well as this, a section was developed on what to do when things went wrong at any stage. This would lead the caterer through why the problem might have arose, different things they could do to rectify it in the short term, and how to plan long term strategies for preventing similar problems from happening again.

 

 

The 'Food Diary':Keeping Appropriate Records

It was soon raised by members of the team that several of the food safety points were not the responsibility of the food handlers, but the managers or owners of the business. For example, when it came to selecting the right equipment, ordering stock, deciding to use disposable cleaning cloths. In a very small business this might well be one and the same person, but this is not always the case. It was also raised that unlike most other tasks, often there was no one person who would take responsibility or ownership for food safety.

 

Taking responsibility

 

The team decided in response to these issues to create a managers ‘Food Diary’. This would be a page a day annual diary with a place on each page for the manager to sign to say that he or she had supervised their premises and made sure the 4 Cs were being followed. It would also involve a daily open and close check for the manager to complete; this included checking that there was all the necessary cleaning and hand washing products in plentiful supply, equipment was working and that staff were clean, tidy and fit for work, and checking that at the end of the day there was no food left out, everything was cleaned and put away, and that all stock past its used by date had been thrown away.

 

Minimum record keeping

 

On each page of the diary there would also be a section for noting down any changes or problems that had been encountered. Known as ‘exception reporting’, this was felt to be an improvement on the alternative continual recording of ‘correct’ temperatures. It would not only minimise documentation for the caterer and leave only a requirement for the essential information, but also highlight the importance of changes to routine in heightening food safety risks. To make the diary a more useful tool, space would be left on each page for the manager to write down other information that they needed to keep a track of, such as bookings or orders.

 

Usefulness

 

Keeping the idea of usefulness in mind, additional ideas for the diary were that it would include staff lists, training lists, and an address section for all suppliers. This in itself offers traceability and at the same time keeps all necessary information in one place. Monthly checks would be added which could tie in with cleaning and maintenance ‘safe methods’ to work as additional reminders for tasks to be completed. In this way the diary works alongside the safe methods, and links management to practice.

The New HACCP for the Catering Sector?

The ‘system’ that has been developed for the catering sector has many improvements over the ‘classical’ approach to Codex HACCP methodology. While it is only in its early stages, it has met with a positive reception and seen early research benefits at knowledge, attitude and behavioural levels. There are several reasons it is believed that it will succeed where other attempts have failed: 

It is practical

The system was designed with a range of experts including caterers themselves. In this way, what was practical and realistic for caterers was constantly brought to the forefront. For example, using temperature probes for the purpose of validating certain dishes rather than checking every one, and for the latter using visual, textural cues rather than just temperatures. Documentation was incorporated in a ‘min-max’ model of the minimum amount for the maximum impact.

 

It is comprehensive 

The team did not make general assumptions or conclusions where areas got difficult, such as to always throw away food as a corrective action or to ‘chill quickly’ without giving details on how actually best to do this. Every possible aspect of safe catering was given lengthy discussion and inclusion within the ‘system’. Because their approach was ‘bottom up’ the system also incorporates all necessary elements of GHP, and incorporates GHP and HACCP into a logical, holistic food safety management system.

It is accessible

Leaving all previous versions and language of HACCP behind, the team created an approach using the language of caterers, not technical food experts. None of the HACCP ‘jargon’ was found to be necessary and thus none was included.

It is flexible

While every aspect of safe catering is included within the ‘system’, it is designed so that only those necessary to the particular catering business need to be drawn out and turned into ‘safe methods’. The process of creating the ‘safe methods’ is even more tailored, and the diary too is to be built up based on their individual needs. Moreover whenever changes occur, the ‘system’ can be easily and readily adapted to accommodate these.

It is safe

The team kept in mind at all times the main purpose of the ‘system’, namely to improve food safety. The combination of food science experts and caterers meant that practicality was always complimented by safety. Because the ‘system’ covers all key safety points and necessitates the relevant ones being written down and controlled at both staff and management levels, if adopted by businesses it should thus ensure safe food.

 

Appendix One: Example of a Cooking Safe Method Filled Out by a Caterer (black type)