Advice for start ups

So, you have a lovely tasting product that you want to sell to the public? and You need to ensure it is safe for human consumption…

We recommend creating a HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) plan, which will help to define the risks associated with your product and how to mitigate them. Part of this process is ensuring that no harmful bacteria will grow in the product between making it, and it being consumed.

How do you do this?

1) Establish target shelf life. Will your product be eaten more than 10 days after production, or less?
2) Decide how it will be stored – chilled or at ambient temperature?
3) Define who it is for – are any of your target customers babies or old/infirm people?

These factors, among others, will provide clues as to how much cooking, or thermal processing, is required.

When you have found this out, the cooking or preservation process will need to be validated. That is, you need to prove that every pack you produce will be processed safely and consistently.

Of course, sometimes this will require a little specialist knowledge...

...which is where The Food Incubator can help!