1. Identify and describe the preventive, concurrent, and corrective controls used in this situation at the Plucky Chicken.

2. Identify and describe where the three steps in the control process were applied at the Plucky Chicken.

Case:

The kitchen crew at the Plucky Chicken restaurant consisted of graduates of the local culinary school. They were well-trained in a variety of specialty cooking styles. Regardless of their specialty approaches to cooking, one aspect they shared in common was an awareness of the systematic preventive approach to food safety known as hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Pillsbury. The seven HACCP principles are included in the international standard ISO 22000 FSMS 2005, and are integral to the Plucky Chicken organizations Total Quality Management (TQM) system. On this particular day, the Plucky Chicken was pre- paring for a large banquet, so food preparation was in full swing. As the crew arrived for their shift in the kitchen, they donned uniforms and washed up before beginning work. The first task was to prepare a number of chick- ens for oven roasting. The raw chickens were stored in the restaurants walk-in cooler in compliance with the HACCP principle of hazard analysis. The crew was aware that poultry is a potentially hazardous food. They knew improperly handled chicken contained microorganisms that could contaminate the food and cause food poisoning. Once the crew had the chickens roasting in the oven, they checked them at intervals to ensure they were thoroughly cooked. This was an application of the HACCP principle of setting critical control points. Everyone knew foods needed to be cooked to at least 167F to prevent bacteria from developing, and the correct temperature is set on the oven was part of the HACCP principle setting critical limits. For the banquet recipes, the critical limit was a cooking temperature of 167F. Later, during a periodic check of the roasting process, it was determined someone had reduced the oven temperature. Quickly recalling the HACCP principle to establish monitoring systems for the critical limits, the crew used an instant reading probe thermometer, tested the internal temperature of one of the chickens, and found it to be 140F. Because the temperature was below the critical limit of 167F, the crew implemented the HACCP principle of corrective action to be taken when critical limits are not met and returned the oven to the correct temperature setting. As required by Plucky Chicken TQM policy, the variation in temperature was noted on the cooking temperature chart, under the comments section. As part of the protocol, the crew also recorded the finished cooking temperature of one of the batches of chickens and the time during which the batch was cooked. At the end of their shift, the crew cleaned and sanitized the oven, and recorded the time and date on the cleaning roster. Afterward, at the daily crew meeting, the change in oven temperature was reported to the shift supervisor. Working with the supervisor, the crew carried out the HACCP principle of verification measures that will make sure the system is working properly. They reviewed the past cooking temperature charts and discussed the steps to be sure each one had been carried out. Everyone was confident the system was working properly, but they followed policy and noted the variety of the oven temperature. The supervisor kept a record of the event and planned a training session for all kitchen crews to remind them about the potential hazards of temperature variations and the need to monitor and maintain critical temperature limits. For these final actions, the kitchen crew and the supervisor were also applying HACCP principles of record-keeping and corrective action.