HACCP Plan For Cooked Rice

HACCP Plan

For the purpose a execution of a food processing, manufacturing and production process with safety and high quality standards as key requisites, the development of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Plan (HACCP) is of utmost importance, as established by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The food production principles of HACCP, incorporate the usage of extensive and systematic evaluation procedures, for the purpose of assessing the level of safety associated with a food item, throughout its processing steps from raw ingredient procurement to final retail distribution (Soman & Raman, 2016).

The following paragraphs of this report, aim to shed light on the HACCP plan required for the production of cooked rice, along with an extensive and elaborate discussion on the evaluation of hazards, the establishments of critical control points and limits, the associated documentation reports and the formulation of a decision tree.

For the production of boiled rice which is safe for consumption, one of the most preliminary yet essential step, is the development of the HACCP Plan which serves as a guideline outlining the steps involved in the food production process as well the key activities and responsibilities to be delegated to the members of the HACCP team concerned with the production of boiled or cooked rice. In accordance to the guidelines formulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the following flow chart outlines the key steps in the HACCP plan required for the production of rice (HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines, 1997)

                                                                   

One of the key primary steps required in the quality production of cooked rice is the formulation of a team responsible for salient conductance of the required processes. A multidisciplinary team will be appointed for the production of cooked rice, consisting of farmers or agriculturalists for raw rice growth, local retailers or distributors for raw material procurement, engineers to ensure optimum functioning of required equipment, microbiologists to evaluate microbial presence and a quality control and assurance team to evaluate the entire process and manage steps pertaining to record keeping and documentation (Petruzzelli et al., 2014).

The chosen food is rice or Oryza sativa, which is a common staple cereal product consumed widely all across the globe. The chosen food product is required as a raw ingredient for the preparation of recipes as well as a food item itself, in a community health center. The product, that is rice, will be distributed in cooked or boiled form, at temperatures ambient for consumption.

Verification of Cooked Rice Production Flow Diagram

The consumers of the food, that is boiled rice will include patients admitted in a community health center, comprising mainly of adults.

The development of the food product, that is boiled rice, will require the conductance of a number of steps such as purchasing of raw ingredients, delivery of raw ingredients to process site, storage of raw materials before processing, preparation of the rice before cooking that is washing, cooking or boiling of the rice, rinsing the cooked rice, cooling of the rice for further storage or use and lastly, storing the rice under refrigerated conditions  or serving it immediately under temperatures ambient for consumption. The following is the process flow chart of the boiled rice (Petruzzelli et al., 2014).

Prior to the commencement of the production process as per the above flow chart, the entire HACCP food production plan will be reviewed and monitored by the recruited HACCP team, for the purpose of evaluating its efficiency and recommendations of alterations for future improvements and removal of errors (HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines, 1997).

The following sections covers the key steps to be considered while assessing the nature and risks associated with the hazards involved in the production of boiled rice.

Step	Potential Hazard(s)	Justification	Hazards to be Addressed in the Plan? Y/N	Control Measure(s)
Purchasing and Delivery (1, 2)	· Contamination with foreign substances. · Contamination with Chemicals/Pesticides. · Presence of microbes like moulds and germs.	Raw materials during transportation are exposed to a variety of external environments which may encourage entry of contaminants .	Yes	· The rice should be purchased from a reputable supplier. · Durable packaging materials must be used. · Raw materials must be purchased must be fresh or within expiry dates.
Storage (3)	Contamination with chemicals, foreign impurities and microbes like moulds and germs.	Storage in unhygienic conditions can result in contamination.	Yes	· Containers for storing rice must be covered. · Rice grains must be stored in rooms with adequate ventilation. · Usage of stock control measures like FIFO (First in, First Out).
Washing (4)	Contamination from impure water, unhygienic handling or unclean equipment.	Usage of water from unclean sources, usage of unclean equipment or lack of proper hygienic practices by workers can result in contamination.	Yes	· Maintenance of staff personal hygiene. · Usage of clean water and equipment. · Thorough washing to remove inherent impurities.
Boiling (5)	Microbial contamination due to inadequate cooking temperatures (Bacillus cereus).	Inadequate cooking temperatures can cause microbial survival and contamination.	Yes	Maintenance of adequate cooking temperatures.

Type of Hazards
Biological	Bacterial strains (Bacillus cereus)
Chemical	Pesticides
Physical	Stone chips, dust, rodent or insect droppings

Critical Questions to be considered for Boiled Rice Production

Ingredients: · Does the rice contain any ingredients which may contain biological (Bacillus cereus), chemical (Pesticides) and physical hazards (Dust, Stones)? · What are the sources of raw ingredients or hazards?

Intrinsic Factors: · Does the cooked rice permit survival or multiplication of pathogens or toxin formation in the food during processing? (Bacillus cereus) · Are there any similar products like cooked rice and what has been the safety records or hazards associated with such products?

Procedures used for Processing: · Does the process of boiled rice production include controlling steps for destruction of pathogens?

Equipment design and use: · Does the boiled rice production/cooking equipment provide time and temperature control measures required for safe food production?

Employee health, hygiene and education: · Will the health and hygiene practices adopted by the employees involved in boiled rice production affect the safety of the finished product?

Intended Consumer: · What is the intended consumer profile of boiled rice? · Is it for the general public?

Hazards	Risk	Need for Addressing
Biological (Bacillus cereus)	High	Outbreaks of food poisoning by rice consumption have been associated largely with Bacillus cereus contamination, which may cause symptoms of diarrhea, nausea and vomiting if adequate cooking temperatures detrimental for its survival, are not maintained. Hence, the removal of this hazard will be addressed critically.
Chemical (Pesticides)	High	Presence of pesticide residues due to inadequate rinsing has been attributed to gastrointestinal disorders. Hence, this hazard will be addressed.
Physical (Stone chips, dust, insect or rodent droppings)	High	Presence of physical contaminants due to inadequate transportation, cleaning and storage has been attributed to dental and gastrointestinal problems, hence requiring hazard removal.

After completion of the development of the Hazard Analysis Evaluation in the production of boiled rice, the next step would include the formulation of a critical control point decision tree, which helps in determining the steps required in the removal of hazards which have been identified. A number of control steps may be required in the removal of a single hazard, and likewise, a number of hazards may be remove through incorporation of a single control step. Hence, in accordance to the guidelines presented by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, the following critical control point decision tree has been utilized for the production of boiled rice ((HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines, 1997).

Does the step of Purchasing/Delivery/Pre-processing Storage/Washing/Boiling/Rinsing/Cooling/Post Processing Storage and Serving of Boiled Rice involve the presence of hazards of sufficient harm and frequency to warrant control measures?           Yes                                                                              No                    Not a CCP

In case a hazard is present, is there an existence of a control measure present in the concerned step of production of boiled rice?                       Yes                                     No         Work upon modification of this step or product       Is it necessary to incorporate a control measure for safety?                  Yes

Is it necessary to incorporate a control measure in this step for prevention, elimination or reduction of the risk of hazardous components for the safety of consumer consumption? Yes                                                No                  Not a CCP          Proceed to next process CCP

Critical Control Points and Critical Limits (As designed by the Author) (Akoa Etoa et al., 2018)

Process Steps	Critical Control Point	Critical Limits
1. Purchase	No (Succeeding measures will control the hazards)	Not Applicable
2. Delivery	No (Succeeding measures will control the hazards)	Not Applicable
3. Pre-processing Storage	No (Succeeding measures will control the hazards)	Not Applicable
4. Washing	Yes: Presence of biological physical and chemical contaminants	Absence of foreign contaminants, personal hygiene practices, use of potable water, maximum limit 1%
5. Cooking (Boiling)	Yes: Presence of Bacillus cereus contamination	Cooking or Boiling at Core Temperatures (75°C)
6. Cooling and Storage	Yes: Recontamination by microbes or foreign contaminants	Hygienic handling processes, refrigeration at temperatures of 18°C to prevent microbial growth.
7. Serving	Yes: Recontamination by microbes or foreign contaminants.	Hygienic handling processes, warming and holding at temperatures of 65°C to prevent microbial growth.

Document ID:	Title: Standard Operating Procedure for Documentation of HACCP Process Plan for production of Boiled Rice	Date of Printing:
Effective Date:	Prepared By: Quality Control and Assurance Team of the Community Health Center	Date of Reviewing:
Standard: HACCP System (Food Safety Enhancement Program by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Codex Alimentarius Commission)	Approved by: Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Date of Approval:

Policy: To maintain the usage of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, as per the Food Safety Enhancement Program by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Trifialek et al., 2015).

Purpose: To adhere to the seven principles of HACCP plan standardized by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Huang et al., 2015).

Scope: The areas of food production and catering are affected in the organization, that is the community health center.

• Farmers/Agriculturalists: To help in the production and procurement of raw materials, that is, rice grains.
• Local dealers: To help in the delivery of raw materials, that is rice grains, in the processing site, that is, community health center.
• Chefs: To help in ensuring and execution safety and control measures during food processing, that is, production of cooked rice.
• Microbiologists: To help in the evaluation of the microbial content of the raw material, that is, rice grains, as well as the equipment involvement, prior to and after processing.
• Engineers: To help in ensuring optimum functioning of required equipment for boiled rice production, in order to meet critical control points and critical limits.
• Quality Control/Assurance Personnel: To help in the monitoring and evaluation of the entire HACCP process and ensure compliance with record-keeping and verification procedures.

• HACCP: A systematic process of identifying, evaluating  and control hazards pertaining to food safety.
• Critical Control Points: An essential step in the food production process requiring application of control for the elimination of possible hazards.
• Critical Limits: A range outlining minimum and maximum parameters which must be adhere for the administration of critical control measure, resulting in eradication of possible hazards.

• Food Grade Thermometers for Temperature Monitoring
• Petri Plates, Incubators, Laminar Flow, Microbial media for microbial assays and microbial colony counting.
• Batch Boilers for Cooking
• Water supply and cleaning area for rinsing and washing
• Warehouses and refrigerators with temperature monitoring devices
• Gloves, Head caps, disinfectants for Hygienic handling
• Copy of legal guidelines of HACCP process plan by Codex Alimentarius

1. Purchasing: The local farmers or agriculturalists will ensure safe farming and harvesting of healthy, disease-free rice grains, with the administration of permissible pesticide levels.
2. Delivery: Local retailers or delivery personnel will ensure safe transportation of rice grains to the community health center, with the administration of adequate packaging and protection to prevent contamination.
3. Pre-processing Storage: Staff of the community health center will ensure stock holding measures and procurement and storage of rice grains in well-ventilated, hygienic warehouses to avoid microbial and rodent infestation.
4. Washing: Food production staff will ensure washing of rice grains with potable water along with hygiene practices to prevent contamination.
5. Boiling: Microbiologists and Chefs will ensure boiling of rice at critical temperatures of 75°C to avoid microbial contamination (Bacillus cereus). Engineers will ensure proper functioning of equipment like thermometers and batch boilers.
6. Rinsing: Food production staff will ensure washing of cooked rice with potable water along with hygiene practices to prevent contamination.
7. Cooling/Storage: Chefs and subordinates will ensure cooling and storage of rice at holding refrigeration temperatures of 18°
8. Serving: To avoid recontamination, the chefs and catering, and housekeeping staff will ensure holding and maintenance of temperatures at 65°

DEVIATION REPORT
Protocol Number:
Number of Deviations: 2
Deviation Description: Supply of damaged rice grains, malfunctioning of equipment
Signed By: · Quality Control and Assurance team · Microbiologists · Engineers · Chefs · Food production Catering and Housekeeping Managers		Date:		In It:
Reason and Proposal of Corrective Action: · The local supplier and rice grain dealer was changed and new suppliers were recorded to ensure deliverance of healthy, undamaged rice grains. · New batch boilers with improved temperature controls were installed to replace malfunctioning ones and ensure adherence of critical control points. · New refrigerators were replaced with malfunctioning for adequate cold storage. Cold storage process was avoided on day of refrigerator malfunctioning and boiled rice was held at safe 65°C temperatures to avoid contamination. · Microbiologists conducted additional microbial checks on days of malfunctioning equipment to ensure microbial growth prevention.
Conclusion: All the necessary corrective actions were undertaken in response to deviations to ensure adherence to HACCP policies.

Critical Control Point	Hazards	Critical Limit(s)	Monitoring	Corrective Actions	Verification	Records
Purchasing and Delivery	· Contamination with foreign substances. · Contamination with Chemicals/Pesticides. · Presence of microbes like moulds and germs.	Not Applicable	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team, Food Production Staff, Agriculturalists, Farmers, Local Dealers	· The rice should be purchased from a reputable supplier. · Durable packaging materials must be used. · Raw materials must be purchased must be fresh or within expiry dates.	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team
Storage	Contamination with chemicals, foreign impurities and microbes like moulds and germs.	Not Applicable	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team, Food Production Personnel	· Containers for storing rice must be covered. · Rice grains must be stored in rooms with adequate ventilation. · Usage of stock control measures like FIFO (First in, First Out).	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team
Washing	Contamination from impure water, unhygienic handling or unclean equipment.	Absence of foreign contaminants, personal hygiene practices, use of potable water, maximum limit 1%	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team, Food Production Staff, Chefs	· Maintenance of staff personal hygiene. · Usage of clean water and equipment. · Thorough washing to remove inherent impurities.	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team
Boiling, Storage/holding and Serving	Microbial contamination due to inadequate cooking and holding temperatures (Bacillus cereus).	Cooking or Boiling at Core Temperatures (75°C).  Hygienic handling processes, refrigeration at temperatures of 18°C, warming and holding at temperatures of 65°C to prevent microbial growth.	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team, Food Production Staff, Chefs, Microbiologists, Engineers for Equipment Management	Maintenance of adequate cooking temperatures.	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team	Performed by Quality Control and Assurance Team

Conclusion

Hence, to conclude, a HACCP plan was successfully prepared for the production of cooked and boiled rice for the purpose of food preparation at a community health center. The critical control points and limits were successfully identified along with the corrective measures to be taken to ensure safety in food production. Likewise, for the purpose of verification and documentation, a standard operating procedure and deviation form was prepared to ensure adequate certification and monitoring. Finally, a HACCP Summary Plan was formulated to summarize all the salient activities of the HACCP system in cooked and boiled rice production.

References

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