Seafood HACCP Plan for Distribution Center (Refrigerated)

Does anyone have a HACCP plan for storing and shipping fresh, refrigerated oysters (shellfish) in a refrigerated/frozen distribution center?

We receive and store oysters in brine in our refrigerated storage.  Would I need a CCP for anything other than temperature?  Or does that fall under the allergen management program?  I'm trying to be thorough, but every time I think I need a plan, I start thinking it is more of an allergen management issue.

Help?

Hi, suzieq;

You need to include the following CCPs or at a minimum demonstrate with hazard analysis that there is no significant hazard:

• Receiving (regulatory approval of harvest areas need to be verified)
• Storage (pathogen formation/growth)
• Processing (packing, shucking, possible hazard of glass and metal inclusion, possible hazard of pathogen formation/growth)
• Allergens (hazard should be addressed with shippers cert tag and/or license #)

State and local water sanitation codes must also be applied to practices, as they are more likely to issue warnings and approvals for harvest closures/openings, etc.  

You mentioned that you cold-wet store shellfish. Is this a depuration process or simply storage? If depuration, is the water managed with aquaculture drugs? Nevertheless, water quality will have to be validated, verified, and monitored frequently.

As a shellfish processor I would recommend that you become very intimate with the following documents:

The whole shebang:

 FDA Hazards Guidance 4th edition.pdf   4.74MB   157 downloads

 NSSP 2013 Final September 28 2014_3.pdf   8.83MB   43 downloads

Relevant chapters:

 Chapter 4 Pathogens From the Harvest Area.pdf   2.12MB   40 downloads

 Chapter 6 Natural Toxins.pdf   1.98MB   36 downloads

 Chapter 9 Environmental Chemical Contaminants and Pesticides.pdf   2.03MB   34 downloads

Additionally:

 Appendix 3 Critical Control Point Decision Tree.pdf   1.94MB   52 downloads

An indispensable source for shellfish processors:

Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conferance

Here are some old examples of shellfish HACCP I did pre 2011. I'm missing a CCP addressing both allergens and processing, but I can't keep everything archived... 

 HACCPShellPG1.pdf   230.07KB   101 downloads

 HACCPShellPG2.pdf   226.48KB   86 downloads

It's been a few years since I have had to work with molluscan stock, but hopefully this will help you in the right direction.