From Menu to Hazards

(Steps 1–5 – Food Safety Plan Development)

Step 1 – Identify Menu Items and Potentially Hazardous Foods

List everything on your menu.
Highlight foods that require time and temperature control — called Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHFs).

Examples:

• Meats, poultry, seafood, eggs
• Cooked rice, pasta, beans
• Dairy products, sauces, soups, gravies
• Cut fruits and vegetables

Draw how food travels through your operation.
This “flow diagram” makes it easy to see where problems can happen.

Step 2 – Map the Process Flow

Typical flow:
Receiving → Storage → Preparation → Cooking → Cooling → Holding → Reheating → Serving

Example (chicken sandwich):
Receive raw chicken → Store chilled → Marinate → Grill → Hold hot → Assemble → Serve

Step 3 – Identify Hazards and Critical Control Points (CCPs)

At each step, look for what could make food unsafe.
Then determine which steps require strict control — your Critical Control Points.

Step	Hazard	CCP?	Control Measure
Receiving	Meat above 4°C	Yes	Check & log temps
Cooking	Undercooked poultry	Yes	Cook ≥74°C for 15 s
Cooling	Food left out	Yes	Cool 60→20°C in 2 hrs

Hazard categories:

• Biological: bacteria, viruses, parasites
• Chemical: cleaning residues, allergens
• Physical: glass, metal, plastic

Step 4 – Establish Critical Limits

Each CCP must have a measurable, science-based limit separating safe from unsafe.

Common International Limits:

• Poultry: 74°C / 165°F for 15 s
• Ground meat: 71°C / 160°F
• Fish: 63°C / 145°F
• Hot holding: ≥60°C / 140°F
• Cold holding: ≤4°C / 40°F
• Cooling: 60°C→20°C in 2 hrs; 20°C→4°C in 4 hrs
• Reheating: ≥74°C / 165°F

Step 5 – Monitoring Procedures

Monitoring means checking that critical limits are met — and recording proof.

Date	Item	Step	Limit	Actual	Staff	Verified
Oct 10	Chicken	Cooking	≥74°C	76°C	L.C.	Sup.

Tips:

• Always use calibrated thermometers.
• Record readings immediately.
• Don’t rely on “looks done.”