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Home > Hospitality > Hospitality (120 hours) > Commercial cookery strand > THHBCC11B Implement food safety procedures > Implement Food Safety Procedures

Case study 2: Viva Pasta

Read the following case study and answer the questions that follow.

Viva Pasta is a small family run business that supplies many local and interstate businesses with fresh pasta. They make pastas such as fettuccine, ravioli and tortellini, as well as pre-prepared meals such as lasagne.

Viva Pasta first implemented HACCP before the Sydney Olympics, where they supplied pasta to the athletes. Today they still continue to refine their HACCP procedures. The company says that benefits of implementing HACCP are rewarding as many large supermarkets and catering companies will now only purchase from suppliers who follow HACCP principles.

The company takes all food safety procedures in their business seriously as they are well aware that product recalls affects the reputation and profit of the business. They also know that they can be inspected at any time by environmental health officers.

While pasta is made from flour and water, many of their pastas also contain potentially hazardous food items such as cheese, meat and chicken. When deliveries arrive at the Caringbah factory the ingredients are observed for quality and the food temperature is checked. The food is then quickly stored in the appropriate storage area. Even dry stock such as herbs and spices are given visual inspections such as checking use by date and to see if packages have been damaged.

All employees are trained to work hygienically. On the production floor no one is allowed to enter unless they are in clean protective clothing and wear hair caps and have thoroughly washed their hands. Gloves are also used when handling foods. Employees are not allowed to bring anything glass or ceramic such as coffee cups onto the production floor in case of breakage.

Employees clean as they go but at the end of the day professional cleaners come in to ensure that floors and equipment are thoroughly clean and santised. The company also has routine pest control.

Temperature checks are used to ensure meat fillings are heated sufficiently during cooking and these fillings are quickly cooled. Because most of their pasta is fresh it is stored in cool rooms.

Questions

1. What are some potentially hazardous foods used by Viva Pasta?
   
   
2. What are some of the rules employees need to follow when working on the production floor.
   
   
3. Analyse benefits for companies who implement HACCP.
   
   
4. Predict the temperature of the cool rooms at Viva Pasta.

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