Management & HACCPQuestion 261 of 320

A deli plans to cook, vacuum-seal, and refrigerate soups using reduced-oxygen packaging without a HACCP plan, relying only on refrigeration to control Clostridium botulinum. Why is this a problem?

a.ROP requires the operation to have an approved HACCP plan (or meet strict Food Code criteria) because refrigeration alone may not reliably control C. botulinum
b.Vacuum sealing kills all bacteria, so no plan is ever needed
c.Soup can never be safely packaged
d.The plan is only needed if the soup contains meat

Explanation

Reduced-oxygen packaging of food that supports pathogen growth requires an approved HACCP plan or must meet specific Food Code control criteria, because the anaerobic environment can allow C. botulinum to produce toxin if temperature control fails. Relying on refrigeration alone, without the additional barriers and controls the plan specifies, is unsafe. This is exactly why ROP is a variance-triggering process.

Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-502.12

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