HACCP plan example
The steps, hazards and critical limits in a plan for fermented vegetables, as Fermento's template sets them up for the United States and the United Kingdom.
The plan
A plan for sauerkraut, kimchi or brined vegetables rests on two measurements: enough salt at the start, and a pH that falls far enough, fast enough. A third check stops anything being packed before it has passed. This is how Fermento's template writes them down.
This is the content of Fermento's template, with the guidance it cites. A template is a starting point. Your regulator decides what applies to your kitchen, so take the plan to them before you rely on it. Fermento is a record-keeping tool and does not give legal advice.
In the app
Type a reading and Fermento compares it with the critical limit for that step and that day. One that falls outside the limit says so before you save, and saving opens a deviation with a corrective action to record.
The record
The PDF lists each check with its reading, the limit, whether it was within it, who took it and what was done about any deviation. That page is what an inspector asks to see.
In Fermento's template they are salting or brining (a minimum salt level), fermentation (pH at or under the limit by a set day) and packing (a release pH for every lot).
Fermento's template takes the minimum from the guidance for where you sell. For the United States it cites USDA research: above 2% salt by weight. For the United Kingdom it cites FSAI Guidance Note 37: 2 to 2.5% for sauerkraut and 2 to 3% for kimchi.
That is your regulator's decision, and it differs by place and by how you sell. Ask them first. A written plan with limits and records is what you bring to that conversation.
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