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Seafood HACCP Compendium

Oysters, raw

Generic HACCP Plan

Updated 7/15/02
  1. Process Description
  2. Flow Diagram
  3. Hazard Analysis Worksheet
  4. HACCP Plan Form

1. Process Description

Live Chesapeake Bay oysters are received from harvesters sacked and tagged. Shellstock are  delivered to the processing facility within 20 hours of harvesting.

Upon delivery to the processing facility, the shellstock is refrigerated at 45°F until shucked. This is dry storage. Oysters may be kept several days before shucking. Shellstock is placed on tables for hand shucking into buckets. Buckets of shucked oyster meat are given to the packing room for washing, draining and placing into plastic pint containers. Shucked meats are stored at 40°F.
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2. Flow Diagram

Receiving Live Oysters 
| 		 Oysters are received from harvesters sacked and tagged and are delivered to the processing facility within 20 hours of harvesting. 
Dry Cooler Storage 
| 		 Shellstock are refrigerated at a temperature at or below 45°F (7.2°C). 
Shucking 
| 		  
Washing/Draining 
| 		  
Packing 
| 		  
Shucked Oyster Storage  Storage at or below 40°F (4.4°C) 
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3. Hazard Analysis Worksheet

Firm Name: ABC Oyster Co.  Product Description: Shucked oysters in plastic pint containers 
Firm Address: Anywhere, USA  Storage and Distribution: Shipped on ice and refrigerated; stored at retail under refrigeration. 
  Intended Use and Consumer:  Raw consumption; general public
(1) 
Ingredient/ processing step. 		 (2) 
Identify potential hazards introduced, controlled or enhanced at this step.		 (3) 
Are any potential food-safety hazards significant? (Yes/No)		 (4) 
Justify your decision for column 3.		 (5) 
What control measures can be applied to prevent the significant hazards?		 (6) 
Is this step a critical control point? (Yes/No) 
Receiving Live Oysters  BIOLOGICAL 
Bacterial pathogen contamination  		Yes Oysters are assumed to be eaten raw. Oysters are easily contaminated with pathogens from harvesting waters.  Only accept shellstock from waters open to harvest. 
Require proper tagging. Require proper harvester license.  		 Yes
BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogen growth 		Yes  Growth between harvest and receiving. Limit time from harvest to receiving is less than 20 hours. Yes 
CHEMICAL 
Chemical contamination 		   Yes  Industrial pollution frequently occurs in estuarine waters. 
Oysters may become contaminated with these pollutants.		 Only accept shellstock from waters open to harvest. 
Require proper tagging. 
Require proper harvester license. 		   Yes 
CHEMICAL 
Natural toxins 		  Yes  Natural toxins and organisms that produce them can be filtered and concentrated by oysters.  Only accept shellstock from waters open to harvest. 
Require proper tagging. 
Require proper harvester license. 		  Yes 
PHYSICAL 
None 		        
Dry Cooler Storage  BIOLOGICAL 
Bacterial pathogen growth		  Yes  Pathogens may increase in number if oysters are not properly cooled during storage.  Maintain coolers at temperatures below 45°F.   Yes
CHEMICAL 
None 		        
PHYSICAL 
None 		        
Shucking  BIOLOGICAL 
Bacterial pathogen growth 		  Yes  Excessive time in shucking room can promote pathogen growth.  Cumulative time of exposure to ambient temperature is monitored at shucked-oyster storage.   No 
CHEMICAL 
None 		    
PHYSICAL 
Bits of shell 		  No  Hazard analysis indicates that this inherent defect is not "reasonably likely" to result in the food being unsafe for consumption.     
PHYSICAL 
Metal fragments 		  No  Not reasonably likely to occur.     
Washing/Draining  BIOLOGICAL 
Bacterial pathogen growth 		  Yes  Excessive time at washing/draining step can promote pathogen growth.  Cumulative time of exposure is being controlled at  shucked- oyster storage.   No 
CHEMICAL 
None 		    
PHYSICAL 
None 		        
Packing  BIOLOGICAL 
Bacterial pathogen growth 		 Yes  Excessive time at packing step can promote pathogen growth.  Cumulative time of exposure is being controlled  at shucked- oyster storage.   No 
CHEMICAL 
None		        
PHYSICAL 
Nonel		        
Shucked Oyster Storage  BIOLOGICAL 
Bacterial pathogen growth		  Yes  Pathogens may increase in number if oysters are not properly cooled during storage.  Maintain cooler temperature. Limit the cumulative exposure time of oysters to ambient temperatures.   Yes 
CHEMICAL 
None 		        
PHYSICAL 
None 		        
*Models may not be fully consistent with guidance contained in FDA's Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Control Guide.

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4. HACCP Plan Form

Firm Name: ABC Oyster Co.  Product Description: Shucked oysters in plastic pint containers 
Firm Address: Anywhere, USA  Storage and Distribution: Shipped on ice and refrigerated; stored at retail under refrigeration 
Intended Use and Consumer: Raw consumption
(1) 
Critical Control Point (CCP) 		 (2) 
Significant Hazard(s) 		 (3) 
Critical Limits 
for each Control Measure 		 Monitoring  (8) 
Corrective Action(s) 		 (9) 
Verification 		 (10) 
Records 
(4) 
What 		 (5) 
How 		 (6) 
Frequency 		 (7) 
Who 
Receiving Live Oyster Pathogen Contamination Must have properly tagged containers.
Must be licensed harvester.
No oysters from closed areas. 		Harvest tag.
Harvester license.

 

 

 Visual check. Every container.
Every delivery 		Quality-control person. Reject if untagged, improperly tagged, from closed areas or from unlicensed harvester Daily record review. Receiving record.
Pathogen growth Harvest time less than 24 hours. Harvest time with tag. Visual check. Every delivery. Quality-control person. Reject if exceed harvest time limit. Daily record review. Receiving record.
Chemical contamination Must have properly tagged containers.
Must be licensed harvester.
No oysters from closed areas.		 Harvester tag.
Harvester license.		 Visual check. Every container. Quality-control person Reject if untagged, improperly tagged, from closed areas or from unlicensed harvester. Daily record review. Receiving record.
Natural toxins Must have properly tagged containers.
Must be licensed harvester.
No oysters from closed areas.		 Harvester tag.
Harvester license.		 Visual check. Every container. Quality-control person. Reject if untagged, improperly tagged, from closed areas or from unlicensed harvester. Daily record review. Receiving record.
Dry Cooler Storage  Bacterial pathogen growth  Coolers not to exceed 45°F for more than two hours.  Cooler temperature.  Visual check of continuous temperature recorder. Visual check of continuous temperature recorder every two hours during operation. Quality-control person.  Adjust cooler temperature.
Hold and evaluate product based on total time of exposure to abusive temperatures. 		 Daily record review.
Thermometer calibration weekly.		 Cooler temperature record.
Recorder chart.
Shucked Oyster Storage  Bacterial pathogen growth  Cooler temperature must not exceed 45°F for a time greater than two hours. 
No more than three hours from removal of product from dry storage cooler to placement in the shucked oyster storage. 		 Cooler temperature recorder.
Time from dry storage cooler to shucked oyster storage. 		 Visual checks of continuous temperature recorder.
Check progress of marked product. 		 Visual check of continuous temperature recorder every two hours during operation.
Marked product checked every two hours.		 Quality-control person.  Adjust cooler temperature.
Hold and evaluate based on time and exposure by competent authority.
Ice product and/or return shellstock to cooler; hold and evaluate based on time of exposure. 		 Daily record review. 
Weekly temperature recorder calibration. 		 Cooler temperature record.
Marked product exposure log.
Signature of Company Official:  Date:
*Models may not be fully consistent with guidance contained in FDA's Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Control Guide.

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Reference

Seafood HACCP Alliance for Education and Training. 2001. HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Training Curriculum. Available from: UF/IFAS-Extension Bookstore, P.O. Box 110011, Gainesville, FL 32611-0011.

Adapted by Robert J. Price (Extension Specialist, Seafood Products) and Pamela D. Tom (Program Representative) Food Science & Technology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8598

UCSGEP 02-1W; July 2002 (Revised)

This work is sponsored in part by NOAA, National Sea Grant College Program, Department of Commerce, under grant number NA06RG0142, project number A/EA-1, through the California Sea Grant College Program, and in part by the California State Resources Agency. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes.

Affirmative Action Statement 

Sea Grant

Updated: 07/18/07

Update Log

Pamela D. Tom, SeafoodNIC Director
Background profile

Sea Grant Extension Program
Food Science & Technology Department
University of California
One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616

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