HACCP plan
Vacuum-packed cheese
Prepared to FDA Food Code 2022, 8-201.14. Sample: your plan carries your business, your recipe and your equipment.
8-201.14(A) General information
- Business name
- ____________________
- Address
- ____________________
- Permit number
- __________
- Person in charge, title, phone
- ____________________
- Plan verified by (name, title)
- ____________________
8-201.14(B) Food categorization
- Food
- Hard and semisoft cheese (Cheddar, Gruyere, Parmesan, Monterey Jack)
- Category
- Commercially made cheese packaged by reduced oxygen packaging
- Why it is controlled
- The Food Code allows ROP of these cheeses only, with nothing added in the restaurant 3-502.12(E)(1)
8-201.14(C) Flow diagram
Vacuum-packed cheese
- 01 Receive Check maker label and type
- 02 Cold storage 41°F or less
- 03 Cut Clean, sanitized knife and board
- 04 Vacuum seal Nothing added
- 05 LabelCCP Use by within 30 days 3-502.12(E)(3)
- 06 Cold holdCCP 41°F or less 3-502.12(B)(2)
- 07 Serve
8-201.14(D) Ingredients, equipment and procedures
Recipe (your amounts)
- Cheese: name ____, maker ____, lot ____
- Nothing added: no herbs, oil or other ingredients
Equipment
- Chamber vacuum sealer
- Clean cheese knives and boards
- Labels in bold type
- Reach-in at or below the limit
Procedural controls
- Only commercially made cheese meeting 21 CFR 133.150, 133.169 or 133.187, with no ingredients added here. 3-502.12(E)(1)
- Bare hands never touch ready-to-eat food. 3-301.11(B)
- Packaging is done in a designated area, apart from ready-to-eat food, or at a different time with the area cleaned and sanitized between. 3-502.12(B)(5)(b)
- The sealer and food-contact surfaces are cleaned and sanitized between raw and ready-to-eat products. 3-502.12(B)(5)(c)
- Only trained staff use the sealer; access is limited to them. 3-502.12(B)(5)(d)
8-201.14(E) Critical control points summary
| CCP | Significant hazard | Critical limit | Monitoring | If the limit is missed | Verification and records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese type | Listeria and C. botulinum in a cheese that cannot be safely vacuum packed | Only hard, semisoft or pasteurized process cheese from a food processing plant, nothing added3-502.12(E)(1) | Person in charge checks each new cheese against the approved list before it is packed | Not on the list: do not vacuum pack it; wrap it another way | Monthly review of the approved listROP label and discard log |
| Label and use-by | Listeria growth over long storage | Use-by no more than 30 days from packaging, or the maker's date if sooner3-502.12(E)(3) | Packer labels at sealing | No label or past the date: discard | Weekly label checkROP label and discard log |
| Cold hold | Pathogen growth in the sealed package | 41°F or less3-502.12(B)(2) | Reach-in logged twice a day | Above the limit: move, evaluate, fix the unit | Probe thermometers checked for accuracy (±2°F, 4-203.11(B)) and loggedCold holding log |
8-201.14(F) Supporting documents
Training
- Each person who packs cheese knows the approved list, the label and the use-by rule, and the training is written down.
Records (blank logs attached to the plan)
Label
IMPORTANT: Keep refrigerated at 41°F or below
Cheese: ____ Packed: date ____
Use by: date ____ (30 days, or the maker's date if sooner)
8-201.14(G) Other information your regulatory authority asks for
Some health departments add their own forms, a fee, a lab test or a site visit. See what your state lists, then ask your plan reviewer before you start.