need to be a company employee, but does need to be available to you for plan development and for certain other functions, like reassessing your HACCP plan(s) Describe the food and its method of production and distribution; identify the intended use and consumers of the products The next preliminary step to take is to have the hACCP team describe the product(s )and their methods of production and distribution. If your team includes the people who know how things work in your operations, they should be able to do this quite easily. The important thing for them to keep in mind is that they need to include every step in the process. In order to help you make sure you include all the key information, we have prepared a form which could be used to accomplish this task. Attachment 1 is this form and like all the forms in this Guidebook, its use Whether you use the form or not, the following questions should be answered when you aesc the product 1. What is the common name of the product? How is the product to be used? 3. What type of packaging encloses the product? 4. What is the length of shelf life of the product, at what temperature? 5. Where will the product be sold?*Who is the intended consumer and what is the intended use? 6. What labeling instructions are needed? 7 Is special distribution control needed? s Regulatory requirement After your team has described the products in words, they can move on to the next preliminary 3. Develop and verify process flow diagram(s). A flow diagram is a simple schematic picture of the process you use in your plant to produce the product. You do not need any fancy equipment, such as a computer, to produce a flow diagram However, it does need to be an accurate, clear sketch of the process used in your plant to make the product. Attachment 2 is an example of a simple flow diagram for a relatively simple ocess Attachment 3 is a more complex flow diagram for a more complicated process. Either one would be an adequate flow diagram if it accurately pictured what was actually happening in the plant The best means to make sure your flow diagram is accurate is to have the haccp team verify it by walking through the plant and making sure all the steps in the process you carry out are included in the flow diagram. Verifying the flow diagram is a step your team should be sure to de carefully. It is also a common means by which auditors or inspectors verify that a particular flow diagram is correct and completeGuidebook need to be a company employee, but does need to be available to you for plan development and for certain other functions, like reassessing your HACCP plan(s). 2. Describe the food and its method of production and distribution; identify the intended use and consumers of the products. The next preliminary step to take is to have the HACCP team describe the product(s) and their methods of production and distribution. If your team includes the people who know how things work in your operations, they should be able to do this quite easily. The important thing for them to keep in mind is that they need to include every step in the process. In order to help you make sure you include all the key information, we have prepared a form which could be used to accomplish this task. Attachment 1 is this form and like all the forms in this Guidebook, its use is optional. Whether you use the form or not, the following questions should be answered when you describe the product: 1. What is the common name of the product? 2. How is the product to be used? 3. What type of packaging encloses the product? 4. What is the length of shelf life of the product, at what temperature? 5. Where will the product be sold? *Who is the intended consumer and what is the intended use? 6. What labeling instructions are needed? 7. Is special distribution control needed? * Regulatory requirement After your team has described the products in words, they can move on to the next preliminary step. 3. Develop and verify process flow diagram(s). A flow diagram is a simple schematic picture of the process you use in your plant to produce the product. You do not need any fancy equipment, such as a computer, to produce a flow diagram. However, it does need to be an accurate, clear sketch of the process used in your plant to make the product. Attachment 2 is an example of a simple flow diagram for a relatively simple process; Attachment 3 is a more complex flow diagram for a more complicated process. Either one would be an adequate flow diagram if it accurately pictured what was actually happening in the plant. The best means to make sure your flow diagram is accurate is to have the HACCP team verify it by walking through the plant and making sure all the steps in the process you carry out are included in the flow diagram. Verifying the flow diagram is a step your team should be sure to do carefully. It is also a common means by which auditors or inspectors verify that a particular flow diagram is correct and complete. 6