Northeast Beginning Farmer Project

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Plan

Introduction

Food safety is a critical concern for your business and your customers. The failure to control a food safety hazard in your operation can make people sick and result in undesirable legal and economic consequences for you and your industry. A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan for your farm is a valuable tool that can help you to produce a safer food product; it focuses on thinking about and eliminating, minimizing, or reducing food safety hazards to an acceptable level. A HACCP program will reduce the likelihood that your operation will produce an unwholesome food and save you from economic losses that can result when you must dispose of an unsafe product at the end of the line.

While a formal Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan is not required for birds slaughtered and processed under the Producer/Grower – 1000 Bird Limit Exemption, it is widely regarded as the heart of safe food handling and therefore is highly recommended that producer/growers give consideration to control points in their processing procedures.

The Seven Steps of HACCP
1. Assess food safety hazards associated with all areas of your product and your process, and describe measures that prevent the hazards.
2. Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs) – observable and measurable.
3. Establish the Critical Limits (standards) for each CCP.
4. Establish Monitoring Procedures for the CCPs.
5. Establish Corrective Actions to be taken when CCPs are not in control.
6. Establish Record-Keeping Procedures that effectively document the HACCP system.
7. Establish Verification Procedures to determine that the system is working. Each HACCP plan is unique to a specific food product and processing facility. The outline included below has been developed for use by New York State poultry producer processing under the Producer/Grower – 1000 Bird Limit Exemption to produce raw poultry carcasses for direct-to-consumer sale.

Hazard Analysis & Identification of Critical Control Points in Poultry Slaughter

Process Step	Potential Hazard	Control Measures	Hazard Significant & Reasonably Likely to Occur
Receive/Hold	Biological/Physical: fecal contamination from birds	Withhold feed 12 hours prior to processing. Clean foreign matter from birds	Yes, steps to control contamination throughout processing.
Kill/Bleed	Biological: pathogen introduction	Proper cleaning of cones, equipment & utensils	No
Scald	Biological: pathogen introduction	Monitor water temperature: change water if /as required	No
Pluck	Biological: pathogen introduction	Proper cleaning of equipment, including rubber picker fingers	No
Pre-Chill	Biological: pathogen introduction	Monitor water temperature: change frequently	No
Remove head, crop, feet, and oil gland	Biological: pathogen introduction	Proper cleaning of equipment & utensils	No
Make cut around vent	Biological: accidental fecal contamination	Proper training, Proper cleaning of equipment & utensils	No
Eviscerate	Biological: pathogen introduction	Proper cleaning of equipment & utensils; proper care in not puncturing intestines	Yes
Harvest Liver, Heart, Gizzard & Neck	Biological: pathogen introduction	Proper cleaning of equipment & utensils	No
Trim Carcass, Final Rinse	Biological: pathogen introduction	Trim to remove foreign matter. Proper cleaning of equipment & utensils	No
Final Inspection; Carcass, Giblets, Neck	Biological: pathogen introduction	Trim to remove foreign matter. Proper cleaning of equipment	Yes
Chill Carcass, giblets, neck	Biological: pathogen growth	Monitor temperature	Yes
Drain Carcass, Giblets, Neck	Biological: pathogen introduction Physical: contamination from foreign matter	Proper cleaning of equipment, utensils and food contact surfaces	No
Cut Up Carcass	Biological: pathogen introduction Physical: contamination from foreign matter	Proper cleaning of equipment, utensils and food contact surfaces	No
Package, Weigh & Label	Biological: pathogen introduction from birds Physical: contamination from foreign matter	Include Safe Handling Instructions on label. Wash or trim to remove contamination from foreign matter.	No

At final inspection there will be no visible foreign matter and zero tolerance for fecal matter and ingesta. The internal bird temperature tested in the cavity with thermal probe is to be below 41°F.

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