Instituting a HACCP Program for School Districts in a Large City.

* The Office of School Food and Nutrition Services (OSFNS) of the New York City Board of Education identified three areas as potential bottlenecks in implementation of its hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP} program:

-- the critical control point analysis,

-- training, and

-- oversight of implementation.

* Each area was addressed in a nonstandard way.

* Virtually all information OSFNS found on HACCP programs assumed that the critical control point analysis would be performed on each menu item individually.

* Although OFNS serves many different menu items, there are very few variations in the processes for receiving, storing, preparing, and serving those items.

* Proceeding from this insight, OSFNS developed five process-based models that would encompass all its menu items:

1. hot items prepared from raw ingredients,

2. hot items prepared with precooked ingredients,

3. cold items involving some cooking,

4. cold items not requiring any cooking, and

5. remote-service items (prepared at one site and served at another).

* To reduce further the need for customized analysis, OSFNS is considering adopting standards that would be stricter than absolutely required for some items.

* OSFNS is taking a two-tiered approach to training its almost 10,000 staff members. Employees at the cook level and above receive training in small groups. The training of lower-level staff is decentralized-provided on site in the kitchens by cooks, managers, and supervisors after they have completed their own training.

* To monitor HACCP implementation, reinforce proper practices, and correct errors in the field, OSFNS has formed the HACCP Monitoring Team.

* The team will share its results with employees and the cook-incharge during its visit to each kitchen.