Deli Meat Slicing HACCP
Does anyone have an example Deli Meat slicing HACCP that they would be willing to share? My specific question relates to, when slicing a meat like turkey or ham, how long can the meat sit out during the slicing, weighing and portioning process. The facilities temperature is usually around 65F. Let me know if i can clarify anything. Thank you in advance!
You really haven't much time at that temperature to get your product sliced and packaged. The only real way to know is to monitor the temperature of the product while you are preparing it and record to see. Also, if you want to take it one step further, you could send some away for bacteria load on the surface for worst case scenario.
I think the biggest challenge in the deli will be behind the counter customer service.....touching all sorts of things then returning to the task..if in fact you really do mean a HACCP plan in a retail deli.
"The temperature range in which food-borne bacteria can grow is known as the danger zone. Food safety agencies, such as the United States' Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), define the danger zone as roughly 5 to 60 °C (41 to 140 °F).[1][2][3] The FSIS stipulates that potentially hazardous food should not be stored at temperatures in this range in order to prevent foodborne illness (for example, a refrigerator's temperature must be kept below 4 °C (40 °F)[4]), and that food that remains in this zone for more than two hours should not be consumed.[5] Foodborne microorganisms grow much faster in the middle of the zone, at temperatures between 21 and 47 °C (70 and 117 °F)."
To clarify this is in a prep environment for assembly at a later time. In short we supply multiple cafes. So switching from task to task is no applicable.
Thank you for the other information. So our critical limit is the meat reaching 41F or higher for greater than two hours?
That's not what I would do. There have been numerous recalls linked back to just your kind of establishment.
You need to keep that meat as close to 41F as you possibly can. That means your HACCP plan should include that all prep is complete prior to remove the refrigerated products for assembly and then you only prepare as much at one time as you can safely do so. So, yes remove whole deli roast from fridge, slice whats required; put it all back in fridge until ready for assembly.
Also, ensure that when the deli meats arrive at your facility, check the temperature yourself and MAKE SURE your fridge has a calibrated thermometer and is kept at close to 2C as you can
Lunch meat is not like a roast of beef at home, it is much more susceptible to spoilage bacteria.