Generic HACCP Model Development Project Update



The International Meat and Poultry HACCP Alliance is pleased to announce that the Generic Model Development Project funded by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is progressing well. The HACCP Alliance is working closely with FSIS to ensure that the models will meet the needs of both the industry and the agency. The generic models will be example plans that can be used by the industry in developing their plant specific HACCP plans. The following summarizes the project and the process of developing the ten models.

The ten models being developed by the HACCP Alliance include:

1. Not Heat Treated, Shelf-Stable (dried products, those controlled by water activity, pH, freeze dried, dehydrated, etc.)
2. Heat Treated, Shelf-Stable (rendered products, lard, etc.)
3. Heat Treated Not Fully Cooked, Not Shelf-Stable (ready to cook poultry, cold smoked and products smoked for trichinae, partially cooked battered, breaded, char-marked, batter set, and low temperature rendered products, etc.)
4. Products with Secondary Inhibitors, Not Shelf-Stable (products that are fermented, dried, salted, brine treated, etc., but are not shelf-stable)
5. Irradiation (includes all forms of approved irradiation procedures for poultry and pork)
6. Fully Cooked, Not Shelf Stable (products which have received a lethal kill step through a heating process, but must be kept refrigerated. This includes products such as fully cooked hams, cooked beef, roast beef, etc.).
7. Beef Slaughter
8. Pork Slaughter
9. Poultry Slaughter
10. Raw Products - not ground (all raw products which are not ground in their final form. This includes beef trimmings, tenderized cuts, steaks, roasts, chops, poultry parts, etc.)

USDA is currently developing three additional models that will also be available before the industry is required to implement HACCP. These models include:

1. Raw, Ground
2. Thermally Processed/Commercially Sterile
3. Mechanically Separated Species

The HACCP Alliance initiated a full literature review for each of the ten process categories, and invited a team of experts to a three-day workshop to develop the first draft of each generic model. Each team had representation from academia, industry and consumer groups. The workshop ground rules allowed each team member to have an equal voice in the process, and a consensus decision-making process was followed. If consensus was not possible, two points of view could have been expressed. Using these ground rules, the team members worked through the following seven principles of HACCP to design the first draft of the models.

1. Conduct a hazard analysis.
2. Identify critical control points.
3. Establish critical limits for each critical control point.
4. Establish monitoring procedures.
5. Establish corrective actions.
6. Establish recordkeeping procedures.
7. Establish verification procedures.

The teams also discussed the roles of GMPs and SOPs in food safety and in relationship to the HACCP plans. At least one team developed a sample Sanitation SOP for their model, and all of the teams provided example formats for recommended records.

The models are currently being subjected to a small business review for input on format, clarity, usability, realistic approach, etc. All ten models are also going through a thorough scientific/technical peer review by a seven member review team consisting of recognized HACCP experts. Comments from both review teams will be carefully considered and the models will be revised accordingly.

After the project is completed and FSIS has reviewed the models, the models will be released for public comment. This commenting period will allow one last review process before finalizing the generic models. This intensive process of developing the models through workshops and subjecting them to multiple reviews is a time-consuming process, but it is designed to provide the strongest and most usable models possible.

If you have any questions or would like to receive additional information on this project, please contact Dr. Kerri B. Harris (409/862-2036).

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