HACCP Plan Template: Catering (Free)
HACCP Plan Template – Catering
Catering is cook-serve with the kitchen left behind – once the van doors close, you’re trusting insulated boxes and discipline. This plan’s backbone is transport temperature and time control, built for event-day reality.
We’ve seen this used well: the team prints it, walks the plant with it, and argues about it. Fill in your [bracketed] details, challenge anything that doesn’t match your process, and don’t sign off until you’d defend every line to an auditor.
1. Document control
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Document title | HACCP Plan Template – Catering |
| Document no. | [QA-HACCP-022] |
| Version | [1.0] |
| Effective date | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
| Prepared by | [Name / Title / Date] |
| Approved by | [Name / Title / Date] |
| Review date | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
2. Product description
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Product name | [e.g., Event catering menus – attach] |
| Description | [Cooked meals transported and served off-site] |
| Ingredients | [Per recipe – attach] |
| Packaging | [Insulated boxes / hot-holding cabinets for transport] |
| Shelf life | [Serve within [hours] of cooking] |
| Distribution | [Transported by company vehicles to event venues] |
3. Intended use and consumers
- General public at events, including weddings and corporate functions.
4. Process flow diagram
Don’t draw this from memory in a meeting room. Walk the line, watch what really happens, then number the confirmed flow.
- Receiving
- Storage
- Preparation
- Cooking
- Cooling (for cold service items)
- Packing for transport
- Transport
- On-site holding
- Service
- Return of leftovers (disposal policy)
5. Hazard analysis (Codex Principle 1)
The weakest hazard analyses are copy-paste jobs. Think through your own ingredients, equipment and history – that’s what this table is for.
| Process step | Hazard (B / C / P) | Significant? Rationale | Control measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving / storage | B: pathogens; cross-contamination | Y | Approved suppliers; ≤5 °C; segregation |
| Cooking | B: survival of pathogens | Y – CCP | Cook to CCP 1 limits |
| Cooling | B: C. perfringens growth | Y – CCP | Cool to CCP 2 limit |
| Transport | B: growth during temperature abuse in transit | Y – CCP | Maintain CCP 3 limits; validated transport equipment |
| On-site holding | B: growth in danger zone at venue | Y | Hold hot ≥60 °C or cold ≤5 °C; 2-hour/4-hour rule per local code |
| Service | B: cross-contamination; C: undeclared allergens | Y | Allergen information at point of service; utensil controls |
6. CCPs, critical limits and monitoring (Principles 2-4)
Treat these limits as candidates, not gospel. Confirm each works for your product on your line, and set monitoring your team can sustain every shift.
| CCP | Significant hazard | Critical limit | Monitoring (what / how / frequency / who) | Corrective action | Verification | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCP 1 – Cooking | Survival of pathogens | Poultry ≥74 °C; minced meat ≥71 °C; [per recipe] | Probe each batch; [role] | Continue cooking; do not despatch undercooked food | Record review; calibration | Cooking log |
| CCP 2 – Cooling | Growth of C. perfringens | 60 °C to 21 °C in 2 h, then ≤5 °C in 6 h total | Temp checks; [role] | Discard if exceeded | Record review; calibration | Cooling log |
| CCP 3 – Transport | Pathogen growth in transit | Hot ≥60 °C or cold ≤5 °C on arrival; transit time ≤[hours] | Temp on loading and arrival each event; [role] | Do not serve food outside limits; discard per procedure | Record review; vehicle equipment checks | Transport temperature log |
7. Corrective action procedure (Principle 5)
- Hold and segregate all product made since the last acceptable check; tag it and enter it in the hold log.
- Restore control (re-cook, adjust temperature, repair equipment) and confirm it before restarting.
- [QA Manager / designee] assesses the affected product – release, rework or disposal – and records the justification.
- Find and fix the root cause; record the deviation, investigation and disposition, signed within [1 working day].
8. Verification procedures (Principle 6)
- A trained reviewer checks CCP monitoring and corrective action records at [frequency, e.g., within 7 days].
- Calibrate monitoring instruments per the calibration schedule.
- Periodic product testing (microbiological, chemical or physical) per the verification schedule.
- Internal audit at least [annually]; full HACCP reassessment annually or after any significant change.
9. Record-keeping (Principle 7)
- Hazard analysis worksheet and CCP decision records
- CCP monitoring records, signed and dated
- Deviation and corrective action records
- Verification records, including calibration
- Training records for the HACCP team and CCP monitors
Approval and control
| Role | Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepared by | [Name] | [Signature] | [Date] |
| Reviewed by (QA) | [Name] | [Signature] | [Date] |
| Approved by | [Name] | [Signature] | [Date] |
Keep completed forms for [Define retention period, e.g., 2 years beyond shelf life] at [defined location] – and make sure someone besides you knows where that is.