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7.2.1 Detailed standard operating procedures, work instructions and process records shall be maintained and documented for the cooking process.
7.2.2 The cooking process shall be such that the time/temperature achieved at the core is equivalent to a minimum of 2 minutes at +70°C.
7.2.3 Different types of cooking systems may be used, but these shall comply with the process validation and verification requirements specified within the site’s HACCP plan.
Guidance
It is recognised that there shall be a range of different types of cooking systems e.g. traditional cooking chamber, travelling ovens or cooking by micro wave. Whichever system is used, the equipment shall have been validated to a documented protocol. It is expected that protocol shall have been verified at the time of the BRC audit.
Various factors shall influence the rate at which micro-organisms are killed during the cooking and how many survive this process including the time/temperature relationship, the concentration of salt and of curing salts where relevant) in the product and the initial microbial load on the product when cooked.
Cooking profiles shall be in place to demonstrate the controls necessary for product safety. The initial microbial load on the uncooked product shall also fall within the limits set out when determining the shelf life of the final product. These requirements shall have been fully laid out when the durability of the cooked product was determined and shall be available for evaluation.
Evidence
Review procedures, work instructions and examples off cooking process records since the last audit.